Woman dies as car and van crash in Birmingham

The smash happened at around 1.30am today at Gravelly Hill, Erdington, near the Aston Expressway and involved six people.

The road was closed for around five hours while emergency services were at the scene.

A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "On arrival, crews found a car that had been in collision with a van with a cherry picker on the back.

"The car had suffered very serious damage to the passenger side.

"There were five people in the car, all estimated to be in their 20s, two men in the front and three women in the back.

"One of the women suffered multiple injuries. The doctor worked on her at the scene before she was taken to the Major Trauma Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

"Sadly, despite all of the efforts of ambulance and hospital staff, she died shortly after arrival.

"The man in the front passenger seat suffered serious head and internal injuries. He was also taken to the Major Trauma Centre and was taken for surgery soon afterwards.

"The other two women suffered head and leg injuries and were taken to City Hospital. Their conditions were not serious. The driver of the car was uninjured and was discharged at the scene.

"The driver of the van was assessed at the scene but was uninjured and was also discharged."

The road was closed for around five hours for the scene to be cleared and for police to investigate the crash.

Police spokeswoman Catherine Hickman said: "Four passengers in the car, one man and three women, were taken to hospital, where an 18-year-old woman was pronounced dead just after 3am. The man remains in a life threatening condition.

"A 19-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. The driver of the van was unhurt.

"Roads were closed as emergency services worked to free the casualties from the vehicle and carry out enquiries at the scene. The roads re-opened just before 6am."