HUGHES Time magazine art critic Robert Hughes was in serious condition last night after a head-on car crash in a remote region of Australia.
Hughes, who suffered internal injuries and broken bones throughout his body, had to be pried out of his rental car by fire brigade officers using the Jaws of Life.
He had been returning from a fishing trip and had been on the road only a few minutes when his car collided with another vehicle near the northwestern city of Broome shortly after 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Hughes was trapped in the wreckage for more than three hours.
The 60-year-old critic, author and historian was airlifted to a Perth hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition.
The three occupants of the other car were also injured, one seriously. Officers at the scene said it was a miracle any of the victims survived. Police were still investigating.
Hughes, a Sydney native who has lived in New York for 30 years, was in Australia filming a documentary for the BBC.