A WOMAN remains in a critical condition after being thrown from her car in a crash near Dyrham Park.

The 19-year-old woman, from Cardiff, was airlifted to Frenchay Hospital with serious head and other multiple injuries following the head-on collision last Wednesday. She is said to remain in a life-threatening condition.

The woman was driving a Mini which was in collision with another vehicle, an Audi. The male driver of the other car was taken to hospital for observation.

Police closed the northbound section of the A46, between Toll House and Junction 18 of the M4 motorway, for six hours after the crash at 5.30pm.

Fire and ambulance crews were also called to the scene, and the Great Western Air Ambulance was scrambled to take the woman to hospital.

GWAS manager and trained medic Wayne Darch said: "When I actually arrived at the scene there were two medics from a nearby scrambling track attending to one of the patients – the Mini driver, who had serious bleeding and was unconscious.

"There were doing a very good job, having already secured her airway, so I was able to assess the other driver – incredibly he turned out not to be injured."

Motorists faced long delays following the accident until police reopened the stretch of road at 11.15pm.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash to call the force’s collision investigation unit on 0845 456 7000.