A father cradled his dying son in his arms amid the carnage of the A23 horror smash.

Steve Mohabir's leg was shattered and he was bleeding heavily from a deep wound to his stomach as he clutched two-year-old Marcus to his chest, praying for him to survive.

The toddler lost his fight for life after 24 hours at a specialist children's hospital in Brighton.

Steve, 30, is now the sole survivor out of nine people from two cars which slammed into each other on the busy dual carriageway just north of Pyecombe at 4.30pm on Sunday.

He and his baby son were passengers in a Land Rover driven by his closest friends, Toby and Kate Beasley.

They were returning home to Surrey after a day trip to Brighton when a black BMW apparently leapt over the central reservation barrier straight into their path at high speed.

Postman Toby, 33, died at the scene. Kate, 29, was pronounced dead the following day. The pair, who lived in Godalming, have been described as "the perfect couple". The five occupants of the BMW, all from Crawley, also died.

Steve 's wife Tracey, 30, who was at a wedding on the day of the accident, stayed with their son until doctors told her there was no hope on Monday afternoon.

She then made the journey to the hospital in Haywards Heath where her husband remains in intensive care, to give him the sad news.

Nick Davies, 34, who was the best man at Toby and Kate's wedding, said: "Tracey, couldn't go but he and little Marcus went along with Toby and Kate. As far as I know they were on their way back when the BMW crossed the central reservation and hit them head-on.

"Toby was killed at the scene. Kate was rushed to hospital and put on a life-support machine.

"Her parents and sister dashed to the hospital as soon as they heard but there was no hope of saving her.

"Marcus was taken to a special children's hospital in Brighton and Steve went to hospital in Haywards Heath.

"The news of the accident was broken to Tracey while she was still at the wedding and she rushed down to see Marcus. He was also on a life-support machine. Steve was just regaining consciousness when Marcus died. Tracey's main priority was to tell him what had happened.

"It seems Steve was still conscious after the crash and was able to hold his son in his arms. He is still in intensive care with a broken leg but the doctors have told us he is going to be fine."

Mr Davies added: "Toby and Kate were a perfect couple. They were very outgoing and would often go out on trips. They were loved by everyone who knew them. It is a terrible time for all their family and friends. Everyone is devastated."