THREE young men have died, and another is fighting for his life, following a horrifying weekend of devastating car crashes in north Essex.

Essex Police were first called to Frinton Road, in Kirby Cross, at about 9.30pm, on Friday, after receiving reports of a single vehicle collision, involving a motorbike. 

Once at the scene, officers and paramedics established a motorbike had collided with a lamppost near the Parker’s Garden Company.

As a result of the crash, a 17-year-old boy was sadly pronounced dead at the scene, which has since resulted in an outpouring of grief online.

Halstead Gazette:

Scene - police arriving in Kirby 

One resident, who has asked to remain anonymous, lives near to where the tragic accident happened.

He and his girlfriend were on their way home, having recently spent time in Cornwall, when they were confronted with the shocking scene.

“The ambulance and a car were blocking the view of the crash, but we did see the ambulance crew trying to resuscitate the young man at the scene,” he said.

“It was not pleasant to see and it just shows the realism of the dangers on our roads and how precious life really is.

“My girlfriend felt horrendous and very anxious about seeing it, and it took her a while to calm herself down.”

Halstead Gazette:

Then, roughly 17-hours later, officers were called to Coggeshall bypass, between West Street and Colchester Road, shortly after 2.30pm on Saturday with reports of a serious collision.

Firefighters from Coggeshall and Colchester fire stations also attended the major incident, as well as paramedics from the East of England Ambulance Service.

After arriving at the scene, the emergency services established that a white Mercedes and a white Peugeot had been involved in a crash.

As a result, a 19-year-old-man sadly died at the scene, while a man in his 50s and a woman in her late teens were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Halstead Gazette:

Shockingly, less than 12-hours later, a red Ford Fiesta smashed into a tree located at the junction of America Road and Coggeshall Road, in Earls Colne.

Police officers again attended the scene, at approximately 1.40am yesterday, and a man in his 20s was pronounced dead.

Another man, believed to be in his late teens, was also injured following the accident, and had to be rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

William Essex, from Colchester, says he drives on the Coggeshall bypass - located just eight minutes from the site of the second crash - at least three times a week.

He considers it to be a hotspot for accidents and has called for the road to be renewed before the death toll rises any further.

“The road is appalling to drive on, and has to be one of the most dangerous,” he said.

“People pull out of the country roads and do not speed up, which means drivers have to break hard.

“How many more deaths do there have to be before a much safer one is built?”

Essex Police are now appealing for anyone with information about either of the two crashes, or who has dashcam footage, to contact them immediately on 101.