A surgeon who delivered emergency first aid at a car crash in Calverley has spoken of the shock scene that confronted him.

Chatenya Chauhan was heading towards Bradford on a shopping trip at 3pm on Thursday when he was flagged down in Woodhall Road. Hearing there had just been a serious smash, he asked for directions and drove on to the site some 300 metres south of the junction with Woodhall Court.

There he found the wreckage of a silver Porsche Boxster and a red Fiat Punto - with both drivers still inside their vehicles.

The 36-year-old hospital trauma surgeon said: "There was a crumpled Porsche facing the wall with its passenger door hanging off and a man lay across his seat unconscious.

"His neck was bent sharply forward but I had a look at him and he was breathing. Another man was looking at the lady in the Punto and told me she was talking, so I was less immediately concerned about her.

"With help from another lady, I took the Porsche driver from his car, immobilising his neck and spine, and laid him flat on the floor." Mr Chauhan found the 45-year-old man had suffered head and chest injuries, but was satisfied that his blood pressure, pulse and breathing were steady.

Switching quickly to check the other victim, he discovered a 70-year-old woman trapped by her legs in the damaged Punto.

"She told me she had chest pains and when I examined her, I found she had broken her ribs on both sides, probably from hitting the steering wheel at high speed.

"Then the fire crew came and we used some first aid stiff collars to make sure their necks were secure. They cut the woman free while I tended to the unconscious man, and we just maintained his airways until the paramedics arrived."

Both drivers were taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where today the man was said to be in a critical condition with serious head and chest injuries. The Punto driver, meanwhile, was in a stable condition with serious chest injuries. Pudsey road traffic police have praised Mr Chauhan for doing a "sterling job".

Trained in Leeds, where he lives, Mr Chauhan works at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham.

He was quick to play down his part in the drama. "It's what I would always do and have done before on several occasions," he said, "I consider it part of my duty."

Pudsey police would like to hear from anyone who saw the crash or the vehicles involved beforehand. Call (0113) 241 4859.