Updated: POLICE today appealed for witnesses as they investigated a crash in which a York motorist was critically injured.

The accident happened early yesterday on a bend on the B1224 York to Wetherby Road near Bilton in Ainsty.

The 24-year-old man’s grey Renault Laguna ploughed through a road sign, before hitting a brick wall and becoming wedged in a ditch.

Firefighters from Wetherby, Tadcaster and Acomb used cutting tools to remove the side of the vehicle, which had become wedged bonnet-side down in the ditch.

The driver, who suffered serious head and facial injuries, as well as internal injuries, was taken to York Hospital, where police said he was being treated in intensive care.

Traffic Constable Steve Wright said police were looking into the cause of the incident.

He said: “We believe a motorist travelling in the opposite direction reported the incident at 6.07am, and would urge anyone who witnessed the crash or with any information to get in touch.”

He declined to speculate on the possibility that overnight rain could have contributed to the crash, saying: “We are unable to determine the cause of this incident at this time, as it is still under investigation.

“But even at the speed limit of 40mph, a crash at this location would cause a lot of damage. It would have been daylight when he crashed, and we’ve had the first rains after a dry spell, but I wouldn’t say that’s a factor.”

Local resident Frank Beckwith said there had been several accidents at the location in the past.

“It came as a total shock to me when I saw the police notice closing off the road,” he said. “The roads were done up quite recently, and a warning sign about the bend in the road was put up, and it seems a lot better than it was. There hasn’t been any accidents down there for quite a while, but it used to be fairly common.”

Anyone with information about the incident should phone TC Wright on 01423 539326.


• In another incident yesterday, an occupant of a car which left the A64 near Tadcaster, at about 5.45pm was taken to hospital after being freed from the vehicle by emergency services.

The extent of the person’s injuries was not known last night. A second occupant of the car managed to get out of the vehicle before fire crews arrived.


• An 18-year-old who suffered serious head injuries last Thursday in an accident on the A1 near Catterick Garrison has died.