A woman came within a whisker of death when a 38-ton lorry jackknifed in a smash, sending its trailer skidding towards her car.

Yvonne Prosser feared for her life as the trailer hurtled towards her and only ground to a halt a few feet from her car bonnet.

Broken glass and oil from the battered lorry cab showered her car as she was caught in the middle of a collision between two lorries.

Mrs Prosser, of Monks Avenue, Lancing, said she was lucky to be alive.

She had been queuing in traffic on the A27 Lyons Farm junction at Sompting when she heard a terrible screeching sound.

The cab of one of the lorries had buckled under the impact of the smash, which ripped its trailer away and sent it skidding along the dual carriageway shortly after 9.30am yesterday.

Mrs Prosser's Rover car escaped damage, despite debris being strewn either side of her and one of the lorry's spilling its load of aluminium beams.

She said: "I cannot believe my car was right in the middle of it.

"I was just going along slowly with a lorry behind me when I heard the most horrendous crashing noise.

"All I could see was the lorry moving to the left and the cab coming towards me.

"It swerved out just past me and I saw the driver in the cab.

"It must have hit the central reservation because it came back at me and stopped 3ft from my bonnet.

"There was all this noise and smoke and I just sat there. I was about to jump out the car but I froze."

Mrs Prosser, who works for marketing company CPM and is 58 today, said: "I had said to a friend that I did not want to get a year older and I nearly didn't."

Mrs Prosser, who has four sons and one daughter, said she was determined to live life to the full to celebrate her birthday.

Fire crews and police at the scene said they were amazed no one was seriously hurt in the smash.

Both lorry drivers escaped with only minor injuries.

Mark Osbourne, East Sussex fire brigade's assistant divisional officer, said: "It was a miraculous escape for all three."

The westbound lane of the road was closed for more than four hours causing long traffic delays.

An investigation is being carried out into the crash.