Teenager ‘in middle of road’ struck by taxi

A TEENAGER was seriously injured after being knocked down by a car in the early hours of the morning.

The 19-year-old man is believed to have been standing in the middle of the road when he was struck by a taxi carrying three passengers at 2.23am on Saturday.

He remains in Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary with serious head injuries following the collision on New Front Street in Annfield Plain, near Stanley, County Durham.

Several witnesses told police the injured man appears to have been standing in the middle of the road, close to Derwentside Funeral Services, and a number of drivers were forced to swerve to avoid him.

He was then hit by the silver Vauxhall Insignia estate containing three passengers, which was heading towards Catchgate.

Police say neither the taxi driver, a 65-year-old man, or his passengers, two men and a woman, were injured.

The road was closed for two and a half hours after the collision while crash investigators examined the scene.

Officers are now appealing for witnesses to the incident or anyone who saw the injured man in the moments leading up to the collision.

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary said: “The man appears to have been stood in the middle of the carriageway and numerous other motorists have had to swerve to avoid him.”