A man was airlifted to hospital with serious head and neck injuries after a four car accident near Colchester Zoo.
Traffic police said drivers and passengers in the four vehicles were "only inches away" from being killed.
The collision happened on the Maldon Road just before midday on Saturday.
A silver Renault Clio car, driven by a 30-year-old Braintree man, was turning right out of the zoo towards Colchester.
A black BMW X3 car, driven by a 25-year-old Colchester man, was going down the hill towards Tiptree. The driver had to swerve to avoid the Clio but collided with two cars on the other side of the road.
A Ford Focus car, driven by a 21-year-old Harlow man, was waiting to turn into the zoo and a green Alfa Romeo car was passing the Focus on the left hand side.
The Alfa driver, a 31-year-old Marks Tey man, was taken to Colchester General Hospital in the air ambulance with "serious but not life-threatening" injuries to his head and neck.
PC Darrin Lee, of Stanway road policing unit, said: "There were young children in the Clio and Focus and this was only inches away from being a much more serious, even fatal, accident."
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