A HEAD-ON collision involving a total of seven people on Monday night has claimed the life of a Morecambe teenager. Christian Dracup, 19, of Marine Road West, died after his Escort XR3 veered across the central reservation of a bend on Oxcliffe Road and was in collision with an oncoming Metro at about 9.30pm. Four passengers in the Metro including Sarah Fishwick and her three-year-old daughter Natalie, suffered leg, facial and back injuries. They were taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary along with 15-year-old Stephanie Davies and Richard Marshall, 17, who were later said to be in a stable condition.

Two teenagers in the XR3 had to be cut free from the car and were also taken to hospital. One,16-year-old Teleri Hughes was said to be in a stable condition and Iain Murphy, was later released from hospital.

Police, fire and ambulance crews worked for more than three hours to cut the drivers and passengers free from their cars.

Firefighter station officer Alan Winters said: "We had to cut the roof and part of the engine away on the Escort to get them out of the wreckage. Its roof was embedded in the Metro. We eventually left the accident at about 11.50pm and because it took such a long time emergency medical teams were called out."

Resident Edward Waghorn, of Oxcliffe Road, said the road was a well known blackspot.. He told the Citizen: "People race up and down here like it's a race track. It's particularly bad near the bridge where there is no pathway for pedestrians."

Morecambe Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident to contact them on 63333.

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