A TEENAGER is critically ill in hospital following a horror road smash.

But police were full of praise for people who rushed to help the badly injured driver after his car crashed and overturned on to its roof in Lockwood.

The 19-year-old received serious head injuries when he lost control of his car on Meltham Road in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The teenager, believed to be from Netherton, was last night described as being in a “critical” condition at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

But police praised the efforts of Good Samaritans who rushed to help the driver when he crashed near the Big Valley Garage between Lockwood and Netherton.

Pc Felicity Whitteron, of Huddersfield Road Traffic Police, said: “A couple travelling home in a taxi stopped to help together with some local residents who came out when the accident happened.

“They did an absolutely brilliant job – somehow they managed to pull him from the car and on to the opposite side of the road to wait for the ambulance to arrive.”

The smash happened at around 4am yesterday when the teenager was driving home from town towards Netherton.

He lost control of his Citroen Saxo coming around a corner on Meltham Road.

The car collided with two cars parked outside a row of properties and flipped over on to its roof.

A couple travelling home from a night out who witnessed the accident stopped the taxi they were travelling in to rush to the man’s aid.

Fearing they could smell leaking petrol, they pulled the teenager from the wreckage, helped by the driver from Lord Street-based firm GT Taxis.

They alerted residents who helped while they waited for the emergency services to arrive.

Pc Whitteron said: “It’s wonderful that this couple stopped to help.

“The car was on its roof, and I don’t know how they got him out but they did.

“They did a really good job in helping him until the paramedics arrived.”

The teenager was rushed to hospital suffering from injuries including a serious head injury.

Police closed off the road at both ends between Hanson Lane and Armitage Bridge for several hours as they cleared debris and examined the scene.

The wrecked car was also removed from the road.

Traffic was diverted until the road was reopened again at around 10am.

Police are yet to establish how the accident happened and are now appealing for witnesses to come forward.

An accident at the same spot claimed the life of teenager Christian Lang in July last year.

The 17-year-old former Honley High School pupil died when the car he was a passenger in collided with another car on the road.

Andrew Green, owner of Big Valley Garage, told the Examiner he wasn’t surprised to hear of the latest accident when he opened his doors yesterday morning.

He said: “There’s been quite a few accidents, most in the early hours of the morning and involving lads driving too fast.

“In February I had my gates smashed when someone drove into them.

“It’s very sad what’s happened to the lad, but this sort of thing seems to be happening a lot around here.”