A MAN was rushed to hospital after being involved in a serious crash in Redhill this afternoon.

Police closed Wimborne Road for four hours after a white van veered across the road, collided with a car and crashed into a hedge.

Local residents said paramedics resuscitated the driver of the van at the scene.

This evening a spokesman from Dorset Police said the casualty suffered “serious injuries” and had been taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital for treatment.

Dave Brewer, who lives on Wimborne Road, said: “We heard an almighty crash. It sounded as though a lorry had shed a load of metal.

“We came out and saw the van in the hedge. The paramedic was already here about forty seconds after it happened. He must have been driving past at the time.”

Mr Brewer said the paramedics transferred the casualty onto a stretcher and began CPR at the scene.

His wife Val said: “My neighbour, who is a nurse, came out to help. She said he wasn’t breathing but they used the pads and got a pulse.”

The crash happened at around 1.30pm at the junction to Portswood drive, opposite the Horse and Jockey pub.

A spokesman from Dorset Police said the collision involved a white Vauxhall Combo van, registered to a man from Bournemouth, and a blue Vauxhall Astra.

A spokesman from the South Western Ambulance Service said it is thought the driver of the van had a heart attack while behind the wheel. He was transferred to hospital via land ambulance. The spokesman said two occupants from the car were also treated for minor injuries.

Motorists faced severe traffic disruption in the area while police examined the scene and the vehicles were recovered.