A 22-year-old man was critically injured after a head-on collision involving a car and a lorry on a road near Bridgnorth.It happened on West Beech Road, off Nurton Hill Road at Pattingham, at around 5pm yesterday.

The man, who has not been named, was airlifted to hospital by a police helicopter.

Ambulance bosses said the air ambulance was unavailable as it could not fly in the dark for technical operational reasons.

However, a paramedic and doctor from the air ambulance who were still on the base at RAF Cosford drove to the scene in their own car.

Claudine Weeks, for the West Midlands Ambulance Service, today said: “On arrival the crews found a car which had been involved in a head-on collision with a lorry.

“The car driver was trapped by his legs and had head and chest injuries, abdominal pain and severe leg fractures.

“The air crew realised he did need to be airlifted due to his injuries and contacted the Emergency Operations Centre who called West Midlands Police to find out if their helicopter, which can fly at night, could assist at the scene.

“The patient was then flown by police helicopter, to Selly Oak Hospital, and the ambulance service alerted the hospital that he was being brought in due to the serious nature of his injuries.”

A spokesman from the Emergency Operations Centre said: “This was a great example of partnership working and I’d like to say a big thank you to the police for helping us and also to the off-duty crew from RAF Cosford who volunteered their help.”

By Rachael Lowe and John Kirk