A HINDHEAD woman was air lifted to hospital after suffering neck and head injuries in an accident on the A325 junction with Picketts Hill, near Bordon, on Wednesday morning. The woman, aged 17, was cut free from her car and taken to the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford by the Isle of Wight air ambulance. Her injuries are not thought to be life threatening. A rapid response vehicle and the air ambulance were called to the scene at approximately 8.30am where a green Peugeot 106 was in collision with a silver Ford Transit van at the junction. Both vehicles were travelling towards Bordon. The driver of the Ford, a 46-year-old man from Aldershot, was shaken but uninjured. One onlooker told the Herald: "It took a long time to get the girl out of the car. It seemed to me that she was very badly injured. The fire fighters were in the back of the car, trying to get her out. "This is a very busy piece of road, and can be very dangerous. A few years ago, we were involved in the campaign to get the traffic lights put up at the junction." The air ambulance landed in the field known as Picketts Place, and some fencing panels had to be taken down to stretcher the injured woman to the helicopter. Police subsequently replaced the fence and secured the area. "The emergency response was marvellous. The ambulance, police and the fire service were here within minutes. The way it was all co-ordinated and organised was just incredible – they landed the helicopter, managed the rush hour traffic and dealt with the accident brilliantly. You couldn't fault them," added the onlooker. Another witness, travelling to work, said: "I saw three fire engines and medics bending over a car, obviously tending to the young lady who was inside. "The three fire engines were spread across the road and there were long tailbacks in both directions, and lots of police on duty. "I had originally thought the hold up was due to the Wednesday boot fair at the Country Market, but it soon became clear that it was not." Emergency services took an hour-and-a-half to clear the scene. The damaged Peugeot was moved onto the grass verge and was later towed from the scene. However, many motorists were caught in heavy traffic queues, with tailbacks in both directions. One driver said: "It took half an hour just to get through and round the Sleaford traffic lights. I saw one car being loaded onto a tow truck, so it was obviously almost clear by the time I passed." Police are appealing for witnesses following the accident. Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Acting Sergeant Stuart Jones at the Whitehill Roads Policing Unit on 0845 045 45 45.
