3 Hurt In County Durham Crash
6 February 2012, 13:01 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
Three teenagers were badly hurt in County Durham when a car skidded on to a pavement in the snow and hit them.
The trio were taken to hospital after being hit by a Ford Fiesta which mounted the pavement on a steep hill in Bishop Auckland.
Police accident investigators are appealing for witnesses to the crash, which occurred on Eldon Bank at 5.30pm on Saturday (4th February).
A Durham police spokesman said:
"Due to the icy conditions the driver of the Fiesta, a 34-year-old local woman, was unable to slow down sufficiently to avoid colliding with three teenagers who were walking on the nearside footpath.
The three were then either carried on the bonnet of the car or dragged alongside it for around 40 metres before the car collided with a Vauxhall Insignia which was parked on the roadside.
The Vauxhall then in turn collided with a parked silver Peugeot 807, before the Fiesta ended up crashing into metal fencing and the wall of No 5 Eldon Bank.''
The teenagers were all from the Eldon area, the most seriously hurt being a 19-year-old who suffered injuries to both legs, hips and his pelvis.
He underwent surgery at Darlington Memorial Hospital at the weekend and has now been transferred to its ITU department.
The others, both aged 18, sustained broken legs and were admitted to Darlington Memorial where they were due to have surgery. The driver of the Fiesta was unhurt. The other two cars were unoccupied at the time.
Police said the road was extremely icy as a result of heavy snowfall. Any witnesses are asked to contact the force's collision investigation unit on 0191 375 2159.
