OFFICIALS from the Health and Safety Executive have visited the scene of an accident in which a man suffered 'potentially life-changing injuries'.

The injured man was a building subcontractor working on the Vane Road Primary School site, off  Central Avenue, in Newton Aycliffe, yesterday (Thursday, August 22) when he was hit by a construction vehicle shortly before noon.

Emergency services attended and he was treated at the scene by ambulance and air ambulance medics before being flown to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Man hit by vehicle suffers 'potentially life-changing injuries'

The North East Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 11.52 yesterday to a patient injured on Vane Road, in Newton Aycliffe.

"We dispatched two double crewed ambulances and requested support from the Great North Air Ambulance Service. A male patient was transported by air to James Cook University Hospital."

The Northern Echo:

A spokesperson for Durham police yesterday described his injuries as 'potentially life-changing'.

No further details about his condition were available today, though it is not understood to be life-threatening.

A spokesperson for the HSE- the government agency responsible for the regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare- said: "HSE is aware of the incident, has attended site and is making enquiries.”

Work on the Vane Road Primary School grounds is drawing to a close after a new £5.5m facility opened last year and the old 1959 building was demolished.

A spokesperson for Kier Construction, which is managing the redevelopment project, said: “Following a traffic incident outside Vane Road Primary School, Newton Aycliffe on Thursday 22 August, one of our subcontractors was taken to hospital for treatment.

"We are offering support to the site team and assisting police with their ongoing investigation.”