Car crashes into speed trap

A police officer dived clear as a car hit the kerb

A police officer watched through a speed device as a car pulled out to overtake - then he leapt for his life.

The driver saw the speed trap, lost control and crashed into a patrol vehicle.

The car driver was airlifted to hospital after the rush-hour crash in Devon on Wednesday morning.

Another officer, still sitting in the police car at Daisy Mount, near Ottery St Mary, suffered whiplash injuries.

The speed trap had been set up on the A30 in a layby separated from the dual carriageway by a raised pavement.

The officer threw the speed device into the road and jumped out of the way as the car entered the layby sideways

Sharon Newman, police spokesman

The police car was parked in the layby with one officer in the driving seat.

His colleague stood on the raised pavement, watching traffic through a laser speed recorder.

Sharon Newman, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "We believe the Ford Focus pulled out into the outside lane to overtake.

"We think he then saw the speed trap, braked, lost control, veered across to his nearside, hit the central reservation and then mounted the pavement about six feet away from the police officer.

"The officer threw the speed device into the road and jumped out of the way as the car entered the layby sideways.

A patrol car was shunted 15 yards

"It hit the rear of the patrol car.

"The impact turned the Focus over and pushed the patrol car about 15 metres down the road."

The officer who had dived clear immediately began giving the Focus driver first aid.

The officer was later taken home, severely shocked by his escape.

His colleague's whiplash injury was "quite serious" but he was "okay", said the force spokesman.

The Focus driver remained in a serious condition on Wednesday evening.

The eastbound carriageway was closed for five hours, but traffic was diverted on to the old A30 road.