The scene of a car crash on the A6 involving Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who was believed to be driving the Jaguar pictured in the front of the photo Sir Ranulph Fiennes is being investigated over claims he caused a head-on car crash after falling asleep at the wheel.
The explorer allegedly nodded off and veered into the path of another car, seriously injuring the driver who suffered a suspected broken leg.
A five-year-old boy was taken to hospital with minor head injuries.
Sir Ranulph, who turned 66 yesterday, had entered a gruelling 42-mile overnight marathon across the Peak District just hours earlier.
The pensioner, who suffered a major heart attack seven years ago, was taken to hospital after complaining of an irregular heartbeat and shock.
Last night doctors were assessing his condition after keeping him in for observation.
The accident happened on the A6, in Stockport, Greater Manchester, shortly before 2pm on Saturday.
Police sources said Sir Ranulph told officers he 'dozed off' and lost control of his Jaguar, which slewed across the carriageway into a Nissan Micra driving in the opposite direction.
Sir Ranulph's car then hit a Ford Focus before coming to rest across the road.
A woman motorist said Sir Ranulph was sitting 'dazed' and bloodied in the passenger seat of his Jaguar. She said: 'He looked in shock. He was holding what looked like a towel to the left-hand side of his face which was covered in blood.'
Sir Ranulph is under observation in hospital after complaining of an irregular heartbeat and shock The 45-year- old driver of the Nissan had to be cut free from the wreckage and was taken to nearby Stepping Hill Hospital, where last night he was described as being 'very poorly'.
The boy, who was a back-seat passenger and thought to be the man's son, was taken to the same hospital but was later discharged.
Another adult, described as 'walking wounded', was treated for a minor injury.
Sir Ranulph - described by the Guinness Book of World Records as the 'greatest living explorer' - was breath-tested as a matter of routine, but was not found to be drunk.
He was not arrested or cautioned, although it is likely he will be questioned more formally.
Falling asleep at the wheel is classed as dangerous driving and can be punishable with a fine or a maximum two-year jail sentence.
Officers from Greater Manchester police's collision reconstruction unit were at the scene yesterday replicating the crash, which happened in good weather conditions.
A source said: 'Sir Ranulph was taken to hospital for a check-up - he wasn't injured but was pretty shaken. He was spoken to by officers but not formally arrested.
'So far there is no evidence of wrong- doing. He wasn't drunk and there was no suggestion he was being reckless or speeding.'
A police spokesman said: 'We received a call at around 1.55pm on Saturday to say there had been a serious accident on the A6.
'A Jaguar car had been involved in a head- on collision with a Nissan Micra. The driver, a man in his 40s, was taken to hospital with a suspected broken leg.
Investigations are ongoing.'
Last night a spokesman for Sir Ranulph declined to comment on the accident.
Last year Sir Ranulph made history by becoming the oldest Briton to conquer Everest.
Between 1979 and 1982, he circumnavigated the world via both Poles. In 2003, he ran seven marathons in seven days, just four months after his heart attack.
source: dailymail
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