A COUPLE have told how they feared they were about to die as they skidded across an oil spill and crashed at 65mph.

Matthew Crawford and Holly Oldham were returning home from visiting friends when Matthew lost control of their blue Lexus is200 car on diesel spilt by a lorry on the A27.

Matthew said: “We were cruising at about 65mph when I felt the back of the car slip and suddenly we were facing the barrier.

“I was screaming: ‘Oh my God’ – at that point I accepted I was about to die.

“The rear of the car smashed into the barrier.

“It all went black for me – all I can remember is mud hitting Holly and me in the face through the open side windows.

“When we had stopped Holly wasn’t moving. I started shaking her. I thought she was dead. She had gone into shock.”

Mr Crawford, 19, pulled his 18-year-old girlfriend to the side of the road after the accident on the Westbound carriageway of the A27, just past the junction with the A270 Lewes Road at Falmer.

He called the police and the couple, of Old Shoreham Road, Southwick, who both work in sales, were taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton at about 3am for checks and allowed home at about 7.30am.

Miss Oldham said: “I’m in a lot of pain and find it difficult to walk.

“My life actually flashed before my eyes.

“It made me realise life is short, but we’re feeling very lucky to be alive.”

A police spokesman said: “At 2am on Wednesday, June 4, police were called to the A27 westbound.

“A car had spun on the slippery road surface and ended up facing the wrong way.

“A man and woman in the car were shocked but unhurt.

“The road surface had been contaminated by mud and diesel over a distance of more than 200 metres.

“This had been made more slippery by rain.

“The A27 westbound was closed for several hours while police and highways engineers dealt with the incident.”