POLICE officers kept a man alive at the scene of a car crash, giving him first aid until paramedics arrived.

The accident happened near the i360 tower in King’s Road, Brighton, yesterday morning.

The middle-aged man was taken to hospital after his black Ford Focus veered into oncoming traffic.

It is believed he suffered a medical episode at the wheel.

Witness Lewis Alford, from Hove, said he believed the driver had passed out in his car, crossed over the central reservation and collided with a black Nissan Almera coming the other way.

He said: “I was on the other side of the road and stopped at the red light.

“I saw his car coming towards me.

“It went over the reservation and I thought it was going to hit my van, but it went into the traffic light.

“I couldn’t see the driver because he had slumped over in the seat.

“A pedestrian opened the door and the man was unresponsive.

“Then there just happened to be a police car passing by.

“The police were on the scene straight away, giving him CPR.”

The man is understood to be in a serious but stable condition in hospital and recovering thanks to the police officers’ quick response.

The two officers first at the scene pulled the man from his car, laid him on the central reservation and gave him first aid.

More police cars and ambulances soon arrived and the air ambulance was called, bringing more medics.

Paramedics gave the man CPR for more than half an hour before he was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Several new recruits were part of the police team on the scene. It is understood it was their second day at work.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “We hope that their prompt and professional response has helped in treatment of the man’s condition.

“Officers from two passing police vehicles stopped at the scene and gave first aid to the man until paramedics arrived.

“The officers in one of the vehicles included some recent recruits to the force.

“Two other officers got to the car first, immediately took the man from it and started first aid until paramedics arrived soon afterwards.”

The crash happened just before 9am.

King’s Road was closed both ways and officers diverted traffic along Preston Road and Recency Square.