Four people have been arrested and two men are in hospital after a collision with a ‘stolen’ lorry in Cramlington
A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and stealing a car after a crash that left seven people taken to hospital.
Shortly before 9.30am on Friday, emergency services were alerted to a serious collision between a car and a van on the A1086 Fisher Lane in Cramlington. The truck had allegedly been reported stolen from Newburn earlier that morning and had been involved in a police pursuit before the incident occurred.
A total of seven people were taken to hospital as a result of the collision, including one patient who was airlifted to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) by the Great Northern Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS). Four people remain in hospital with serious injuries.
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The road was closed for several hours after the accident, and police were seen conducting investigations on the road. The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct who will make a decision on whether to investigate it.
Northumbria Police investigations are continuing and two men have since been arrested. A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and stealing a car, and a 20-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a car.
The 38-year-old remains in custody while the 20-year-old has been released on police bail pending further investigations.
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “A 38-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and stealing a car, and a 20-year-old man has also been arrested on suspicion of car theft.” The 38-year-old remains in custody while the 20-year-old has been released on police bail pending further investigations.
He added: “Four people remain in hospital with serious injuries, while three others have since been discharged.
“As is standard practice in such incidents, the collision has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
“Investigations into the collision are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to contact police using the Tell Us Something page on our website or by calling citation log 101 NP-20230908-0225.”
The collision sparked a massive emergency response, with Northumbria Police, Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, North Eastern Ambulance Service (NEAS) and Great Northern Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) called to the scene. NEAS dispatched six ambulance crews, a clinical team leader, a specialist paramedic and three Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) crews, and requested support from GNAAS colleagues.
ChronicleLive previously reported that four patients were transferred by road to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital (NSECH), and three patients were transferred by road and one by air to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) for further treatment. However, Northumbria Police have since confirmed that four people remain in hospital with serious injuries, while a further three people have since been discharged, making up seven patients.
