August 2009 - Air Medic arrives at accident on bike

A LITTLE girl was fighting for her life last night after a road accident that left five children in hospital.

The two-year-old is in a critical condition in intensive care following the three-vehicle crash on the A68 near Riding Mill, Northumberland.

She was with her father and four other children when their Peugeot people carrier was involved in a collision with a Nissan 4x4 at around 3.50pm on Saturday.

The family car spun around before colliding with a goods van.

An off-duty paramedic who works for the Great North Air Ambulance and was riding his bike near the scene, immediately called for help, summoning two air ambulance helicopters to the scene.

When emergency services arrived they found two adults and three children with minor injuries.

But the two-year-old girl was lying on her sister’s knee, with serious head injuries and an unconscious eight-year-old girl was still trapped in the people carrier. Hexham Fire Station Manager John Arnold, told The Journal: “When we arrived, a young girl was still trapped in the back of the car and there were a number of children on the side of the road being treated by a passing off-duty air ambulance paramedic.

“At first we were very concerned about the girl trapped inside the car.

“It took us 10 minutes to cut her free and she was taken by air-ambulance to Newcastle General Hospital, with the two-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy.

“It was an emotionally charged situation as there were so many children there.“It could have been a chaotic rescue, but all three emergency services just got on with it and worked together very well. I would like to praise ambulance crews, police and the off-duty paramedic.”

Another two children, aged 10 and five, were taken to hospital by road along with two adults.

It is understood the family were from Hertfordshire and on holiday.

Northumbria Police is now appealing for witnesses to the smash. A spokesman said: “At 3.50pm on Saturday, police attended a report of a multi-vehicle collision on the A68 approximately two-and-a-half miles south of the junction with the A695 in Northumberland.

“As a result of injuries sustained during the collision, one of the children, a two-year-old female whose condition is currently described as critical but stable is receiving treatment in the intensive care unit at Newcastle General.