THREE people, including two young boys, have been taken to hospital after a five vehicle crash on the A12 between Howe Green and Galleywood.
Two ambulances, the hazardous area response team (HART), two ambulance officers and Hertfordshire Air Ambulance were dispatched to the scene at around 7.30am today (June 19).
Fire crews had to cut a man in his 30s from his car and an air ambulance landed on the northbound side of the carriageway.
The man and two children were taken to Broomfield Hospital after the collision.
Steve Brant, ambulance officer for EEAST, said: "In total ambulance crews assessed seven people who had been involved in the incident. Fortunately four of them were discharged on scene.
"One man, believed to be in his 30s, was trapped in his car for about 40 minutes and HART worked alongside the fire and rescue service to help extricate him.
"He suffered potential neck and abdominal injuries and was taken to Broomfield Hospital by land ambulance.
"Two young boys were also taken to Broomfield by ambulance as a precaution but were not thought to be seriously hurt.
"All of the emergency services worked well together on the scene."
Tailbacks stretched to junction 20 at Hatfield Peverel and through Westway and the A138 Chelmer Road.
Phillip Moore was one of the first to tweet about the accident from the Orient Worldwide Shipping Ltd account.
He said: "It looked like a bad accident, I was just hoping nobody was hurt."
The A12 reopened at around 10.30am.
