Rush-hour delays as biker hurt in smash

A MOTORCYCLIST was knocked off his bike in a crash on the A1 that caused long rush-hour delays in Gateshead.

Two lanes were closed after the three-vehicle collision happened on the northbound motorway near Birtley during yesterday’s morning rush hour.

The biker was taken to hospital with suspected friction burns from the road, with a Northumbria Police spokesman saying: “At around 8.25am this morning, police received a report of a threevehicle collision on the northbound carriageway of the A1 at the Bowes Incline near Birtley.

“A motorcyclist came off his bike after a collision involving two other vehicles. Thankfully, he wasn’t seriously injured but he has been taken to hospital by paramedics.”

A North East Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We have taken one patient to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead.

“Their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.”

Meanwhile, a biker was seriously injured when he was thrown from his motorbike after being hit by a car. The crash happened at 1.50pm on Saturday at the roundabout on Front Street, Sherburn Road, Durham.

A 35-year-old rider and his 30-year-old female passenger were thrown from the bike.

The rider was taken to James Cook University Hospital, with serious leg injuries while his passenger suffered minor injuries.

The 26-year-old driver of the car was unharmed.