A THREE-year-old child and a young man were badly injured in a car crash at Yelverton on Wednesday morning.

According to police, a dark blue Vauxhall Cavalier heading south at about 50mph was in collision with a red Vauxhall Nova travelling at a similar speed just after 9am on the main A386 near the Rock.

A policeman at the scene said the Nova rolled over pinning the boy, who had to be cut from the wreckage by local firefighters. Paramedics from Tavistock and Plymouth and two doctors were quickly on the scene to treat the injured.

An ambulance spokesman said the boy had suffered 'immediately life-threatening injuries' — believed to include a fractured skull and injuries to the neck, leg and pelvis — and was escorted to Derriford Hospital by a

doctor.

The spokesman added that the child's mother also suffered serious head injuries. They were both from Estover in Plymouth.

Police said the driver of the other car had been able to walk away from the wreckage, but a man in his 40s, travelling in the back seat, and the other passenger, a young man, both had to be cut out.

The older man was reported to have suffered serious head and spleen injuries. The young man suffered serious head injuries.

All three were thought to be from Ilfracombe.

The road was closed for four hours. Police are appealing for witnesses.

The names of the injured and their condition had not been released at the time of going to press.