A DRIVER involved in a road accident this afternoon was in cardiac arrest when paramedics reached his wrecked car.

He has been taken as a priority to Queen’s Hospital, Romford.

The 50-year-old’s car careered into a roadside barrier in Station Road, Chadwell Heath, at about 12.30pm today.

Two ambulance crews and a duty officer arrived on scene to treat the man.

It is not clear if the driver went into cardiac arrest before or after the collision.

Station Road has been closed to traffic in all directions as workmen remove the mangled barrier from the roadside.

Traffic in High Road, Chadwell Heath, is heavy due to the road closure and some bus routes have been affected.

A woman living nearby said: “I heard a huge bang, it sounded dreadful.

“Then I saw all these police cars here.”