Two men were found badly injured and trapped in a car wreck in woodland after another driver spotted the crash debris on a road nearby.
West Midlands Ambulance Service praised the passing driver's "presence of mind" after they found the badly damaged car, which had plunged down a ditch into trees.
Two men were found inside the car, both with serious head injuries.
Emergency services were called to Scot Hay Road in Silverdale near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, at about 10.30pm last night.
An ambulance service spokesman said: "Thankfully, a motorist noticed debris on the road and had the presence of mind to locate the car in woodland and call the emergency services.
"In difficult conditions, emergency crews worked to free the driver, believed to be in his 30s, and a front seat passenger in his 20s.
"The driver was treated for serious head injuries and the passenger also received serious head injuries together with multiple fractures.
"Both patients were sedated by medics and immobilised with the use of a neck collar and placed on an orthopaedic stretcher before being conveyed to the Royal Stoke University Hospital for further assessment and treatment.
"The hospital was alerted to their critical condition."