Firefighters were called to free a minicab driver from his car after a dramatic early morning crash in west London.
The driver of the Toyota Prius was temporarily trapped after colliding with a black Mercedes on West Cromwell Road in Kensington.
The victim, reported to be aged in his 50s, was taken to Charing Cross Hospital with back injuries just before 4am today, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said.
Black cab driver Paul Janes, who witnessed the aftermath of the crash, said the driver was lucky to survive.
He said: "When I saw the state of the vehicle, I thought someone could have died. It was shocking. The car was completely mangled."
He said the road, often used as a route towards Heathrow Airport, was becoming increasingly "dangerous" and was being treated by taxi drivers as a "free-for-all".
A spokeswoman for the London Fire Brigade confirmed fire crews freed the taxi driver from the car.
A spokeswoman for the LAS said: "We were called at 3.57am this morning to reports of a road traffic collision at West Cromwell Road.
"We sent three ambulance vehicles and crew were on scene within six minutes.
"We took a male, reported to be in his fifties, with a back injury to Charing Cross Hospital."
