A WOMAN suffered 'multiple serious injuries' in a head-on crash on the A35 in Christchurch on Tuesday evening.

The 41-year-old, who is from the town, was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital following the horrific incident at 5.44pm on the Lyndhurst Road at Roeshot Hill.

She had been trapped inside the wreckage of her car for more than an hour-and-a-half beforehand while the emergency services worked carefully to free her safely and without causing her further injury.

The woman, who had been driving a blue Renault Megane, was involved in a collision with a silver Lexus convertible registered to a 45-year-old man from Highcliffe on a stretch of road close to the Toby Carvery.

Police initially described the woman's injuries as "potentially life-threatening" following the crash but on Wednesday afternoon they said she had suffered "multiple, serious injuries". 

The man was not seriously injured and was taken to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital for treatment.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: "At 17.44 police were called to the A35 Roeshot Hill, Highcliffe to a collision involving three cars, two of which collided head-on.

"Early indications are that a Lexus car, driven by a local man, was travelling east up the hill where the actions of another vehicle, a Hyundai car, also driven by a local male, caused the Lexus to enter the westbound lane where it collided head-on with the Renault."

The road was set to be closed in both directions into the late evening as the air ambulance landed, initially in an adjacent field.

However, because of the nature of the casualty’s injuries, it was later moved to the carriageway just metres from the scene of the crash.

The injured woman was then brought to the craft on a spinal board.

Paramedics walking alongside her had covered her mouth and nose with an oxygen mask.

Fire fighters used three sets of hydraulic cutting equipment to remove the roof of her vehicle and carried out a dashboard roll to release the trapped female casualty into the care of the helicopter emergency team.

A vet was also called to the scene to attend to a dog who had been travelling in one of the vehicles involved, although it is not thought the injuries to the animal are life threatening.

The stretch where the crash happened features an overtaking lane separated from oncoming traffic by a double-white line and is subject to the national speed limit.

The road was due to remain closed while collision investigators examined the scene.

No one has been arrested. 

PC Mark Palmer of Dorset Police appealed for any witnesses to the crash to come forward, asking them to call 101. 

To speak to police, call 101 and quote incident number 7335 of July 7.