A young motorcyclist was killed when he was thrown from his bike and run over.

Marc Armknecht was riding his Kawasaki ER5 on the northbound A24 Findon Road at 6.45pm yesterday when he was involved in a collision with a Mercedes.

The 21-year-old, of Woelfs Close, London Road, Ashington, near Worthing, was thrown from his bike and run over by another car, also a Mercedes, travelling in the opposite direction.

A Peugeot 106 also collided with the bike after he had been thrown off. None of the car drivers were injured.

Sgt Paul Markwick, of the road policing unit, said: "This is especially tragic as he was such a young man.

"His family are beside themselves. They are devastated. I would appeal for any witnesses who haven't already come forward to the police to do so."

The road was closed for more than two hours as emergency crews worked at the scene.

Anyone with information should call Sgt Markwick on 0845 6070999.

A driver was today recovering from head injuries suffered when his van overturned.

The man's condition was not as serious as first feared following the crash early yesterday on the A27.

He was hurt when his van was in collision with a lorry and flipped over.

Two other vehicles collided as they tried to avoid the overturned Ford Transit on the eastbound carriageway between the Shoreham flyover and the Holmbush turning. Those drivers escaped injury.

The van driver, from Shoreham, appeared to swerve to avoid a broken- down HGV at 5.22am.

He was taken to Worthing Hospital and the road was closed for several hours.

A police spokesman said: "The driver's condition is not as serious as we first feared.

"He has some head injuries and has had several lacerations in his head stitched up. He's a very lucky man not to have been more seriously injured."