The accident involved a red Lotus and happened just after 8am on Sunday morning on the B2110 on the outskirts of Balcombe.

Firemen used hydraulic rescue equipment from Crawley to cut the roof off the vehicle and the female passenger, who was unconscious, was air lifted to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill. The driver, also in his fifties, was taken by land ambulance to the same hospital.

The Sussex and Surrey Air ambulance took eight minutes to reach the scene from its base at Dunsfold in Surrey and six minutes to fly the female passenger, who had suspected head and chest injuries, to hospital.

Sam Cunningham, 11, who took the picture of the car, and lives at the house where the accident happened, said: "We heard an almighty crash and a red Lotus came crashing into our front garden. We ran outside to see if anyone was hurt.

"The passenger was unconscious and the driver very groggy. Paramedics were on the scene within 15 minutes and the whole clean-up was completed in under an hour."