A Dorchester man was killed and his wife was left fighting for her life in a horrific car crash with a juggernaut.

Churchgoer Austin Lewis, 73, who lived with wife Stella in Kings Road, died instantly when his red Vauxhall Corsa was hit by a truck on the A14 in Cambridgeshire.

Mrs Lewis, 71, who is a League of Friends of the Dorchester Hospitals volunteer, suffered spinal injuries and is in a critical condition in intensive care at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.

The pair, who have six children, attended Holy Trinity Catholic Church in High West Street and were well known for their charity and community work.

Their son Kevin, an NHS trust director from Surrey, today paid tribute to wellwishers in Dorchester and emergency crews for rescuing his mother. He said: "We are so grateful to the paramedics who performed heroics.

"The doctors said there was no way my mother would have made it if they hadn't worked so hard to save her."

He added: "I would like to thank people in the Dorchester area for the enormous amount of support and sympathy they have offered in all sorts of ways."

Mr Lewis, a former council officer, was heavily involved in the Catholic Church's Dorchester Cafod group that raised money for developing countries.

Mrs Lewis, who moved to Dorchester with her husband 13 years ago, raised their six children and was a prison visitor.

The couple were on their way to visit friends in Cambridgeshire before stopping to see their son in Norwich and daughter in London when the crash happened. A lorry collided with their car at 2.50pm on May 6 as Mr Lewis drove on to the eastbound A14 near Newmarket from a services slip road.

Fire crews battled for an hour to free Mrs Lewis from the wreckage of the overturned Corsa as she drifted in and out of a coma.

Their son said: "It appears my father came to the carriageway quite slowly and was hit by a very big juggernaut.

"The car was shunted and turned on its side just off the road.

"My father was killed instantly and my mother was trapped underneath.

"She was in a pretty bad way."

He added: "I am amazed how many people knew them and have phoned us up."

The crash, near the 1,000 Guineas service station, caused road chaos in Cambridgeshire. The lorry driver was unhurt in the accident.