Rescue operation involves 32 emergency staff after obese driver crashes into back of a bus The middle-aged man was trapped in his Mercedes for more than an hour He was injured when he crashed in Adversane, near Billingshurst The operation 18 firefighters, eight police officers and six paramedics An obese driver was trapped in his vehicle for more than an hour as emergency services staff struggled to transfer him to a specialist ambulance for overweight patients. The middle-aged man, thought to be from West Sussex, was injured when his car crashed into the back of a bus on the A29 road in Adversane, near Billingshurst. In a rescue operation involving 32 emergency services staff the man was cut from his vehicle and moved into a bariatric ambulance - designed to cope with patients weighing up to 50 stone. Scroll down for video of the rescue Rescue operation: It took 36 emergency personnel to rescue the obese man from the wreckage of his Mercedes after he crashed into the back of a bus Nasty smash: It took 18 firefighters, eight police officers and six paramedics to haul the man from the wreckage It took 18 firefighters, eight police officers and six paramedics to haul him from the wreckage and the cost of the operation is thought to have been around £20,000. Martin McKilligin, watch commander at Storrington: "Because the gentleman was bariatric, or overweight, in size it gave us some problems. We needed to make sure that we could get full access to him so we could safely remove him. He was conscious throughout and coped very well with what was a very stressful situation. Staff from Sussex Police, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the scene at around 6.30pm. Police closed the A29 while firefighters removed the driver's door from his Mercedes. Paramedics treated the driver before he was put onto a stretcher and taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. Cut out: Police closed the A29 while firefighters removed the driver¿s door from his Mercedes Rescue mission: Paramedics and firefighters keep the man warm as they tried to free him from the vehicle Many hands make light work: Rescuers gather around the wrecked car as they work together to help the man He suffered an open fracture to his ankle, which may have occurred when using his brakes, according to Mr McKilligin, and he also complained of chest and abdominal pains. One of South East Coast Ambulance Service's two bariatric units from Chichester, two ambulance cars and a standard size ambulance were dispatched to the scene. Bariatric ambulances cost £400,000 and have wider lifting equipment and specialist handling aids to cope with heavier patients. They are equipped with a Megasus stretcher, gantry and mobile hoists, threshold ramps, enhanced air cushion lifting aids and stair climber chairs to accommodate overweight patients, some of whom are morbidly obese. Special equipment: The man was taken to hospital in a specially adapted ambulance for bariatric patients Another man who was boarding the bus was hurt in the incident at the split junction in Stane Street between Pulborough and Billingshurst. The passenger was thrown from the steps of the bus when the driver's car made impact with the back of the vehicle. His injuries are not thought to be serious. The front of driver's Mercedes and the back of the bus were both severely damaged in the collision. Crews left the scene at around 8.30pm.