Shropshire Star

Elderly couple airlifted after cars crash on Shrewsbury railway bridge

An elderly couple were airlifted to hospital today after being cut from their car after a crash on a Shrewsbury railway bridge.

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Two cars collided on the bridge over the railway track in Baschurch Road, Bomere Heath, at 9.55am.

The man and woman were airlifted to Royal Stoke University Hospital with serious injuries after being cut free by fire crews using hydraulic cutting equipment.

The crash was discovered first by a team of bin men who were driving past. They saw the engine compartment had caught fire on one of the cars and used a fire extinguisher on their truck to put it out before the fire service arrived minutes later.

Two ambulances, a paramedic area support officer, a responder paramedic, the Midlands Air Ambulance from Cosford with a MERIT trauma doctor on board and the Wales Air Ambulance were sent to the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "Ambulance staff arrived on scene to find two cars which had been involved in a significant collision.

"The driver and passenger from one car, an elderly couple believed to be in their 80s, were trapped in the wreckage.

"The front seat passenger, a woman, was in a serious condition. Ambulance staff and medics quickly worked to assess the woman and found she had sustained a significant chest injury. The team worked closely with the fire service to quickly extricate her from the wreckage whilst advanced medical treatment was delivered to help stabilise the woman.

"Due to the serious nature of the woman's injuries, the doctor took the decision to anaesthetise her on scene. Once released from the car, the woman was fully immobilised before being airlifted to Royal Stoke University Hospital.

"The driver from the same car, a man, was mechanically trapped by his legs but was fully conscious and alert. Upon assessment, ambulance staff established that the man had sustained a serious chest injury and suspected abdominal and pelvic injuries.

"Whilst the man was given pain relief and fluids to stabilise his condition, the fire service worked around the medical team to extricate him from the wreckage. The man was immobilised with a neck collar, spinal board and pelvic splint before being airlifted to the same hospital.

"The driver of the second car, a man, sustained relatively minor injuries and was taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital by land ambulance."

There was damage caused to the railway bridge which delayed trains between Shrewsbury and Gobowen, but the line has now returned to normal service after a team of engineers assessed the structure of the bridge.

Baschurch Road was closed between Shrewsbury Road and the B5067 and police were advising motorists to avoid the area.

Anybody who may have seen the incident or has any further information is asked to contact police using the non-emergency 101 number quoting the incident reference 162 of November 10

Air ambulances and fire crews at the scene. Photo: @SFRSWellington
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