A woman was in a critical condition in hospital today after a car collided with a tree in Shropshire. It happened in Wem Road, Northwood, at about 9.30pm yesterday.

The woman was named by a hospital spokeswoman as Sandra Humphries, 27, of Wem.

And in a separate incident a man was found dead at the wheel of his car in the south of the county.

A second person was also injured in the north Shropshire crash, in which a yellow Renault Megane, which had three passengers in it, suffered substantial damage after it left the road and collided with a tree.

Emergency medical technician Lisa Bebbington said the driver was able to get out uninjured, but firefighters had to cut the roof away to free the two passengers.

She said: “The front seat passenger was the most seriously hurt. She had fractures to her pelvis and wrist and a serious head injury. She was also semi-conscious. She was taken on blue lights to the Maelor Hospital in Wrexham.

“She has since been transferred to a hospital in Walton on Merseyside and is said to be in a critical condition.

“The rear seat passenger who was in his 20s and from the local area had a dislocated hip, as well as head and spinal injuries.”

In a separate incident a man was found collapsed at the wheel of a car on the B4367, at Bedstone, just after 1pm yesterday.

The driver of a Freelander GS TD4, a man in his 50s, was found at the wheel after his vehicle mounted the verge and struck a hedge.

A post mortem examination will be held, but it is believed the driver may have collapsed from a medical condition.