A hospital surgeon rushed to give first aid to two victims of a serious car smash yesterday.

The trauma surgeon used his medical skills as he was first at the scene of the smash in Calverley yesterday and helped treat the drivers of a Porsche Boxster and Fiat Punto.

The silver Boxster convertible and red Punto were in collision in Woodhall Road at 3pm, some 300 metres south of its junction at Woodhall Court.

Today the 45-year-old Porsche driver was fighting for his life in Leeds General Infirmary with serious head and chest injuries.

The man is from the Pudsey/-Calverley area.

The 70-year-old woman driver of the Punto was 'stable' in the same hospital, suffering from serious chest injuries.

Fire crews from Pudsey and Rawdon helped the trauma surgeon tend to the injured before cutting free the Punto driver, a woman from Pudsey.

Pudsey leading firefighter Jim Otterwell said: "We were close by when we got the call, and assisted the surgeon and gave first aid until the ambulance arrived.

"We got the female casualty out quite quickly but they both seemed to have pretty serious injuries."

The road was closed for nearly three hours.

PC Gary Elener, of Pudsey road traffic department, said the surgeon, a hospital doctor who lives in Calverley, had done 'a sterling job' after arriving first on the scene.

"I don't know what equipment he was carrying with him, or what he did, but as far as I'm concerned he did a sterling job," he said.

"What he did was very commendable."

He said the two cars were travelling towards each other and that officers believe the Porsche hit a stone wall before being hit side-on by the Punto.

The smash took place near the brow of a hill where the speed limit goes down to 30mph.

Pudsey Police are appealing for anyone who saw the cars before the crash, or who witnessed the accident, to contact them on (0113) 241 4859.