On Wednesday morning a serious collision took place which resulted in a large part of Bishop Auckland Town Centre getting taped off as emergency services attended to the scene. The incident left a woman with serious injuries, now police are trying to establish what led up to the incident.
Newgate Street and a section of Princes Street in Bishop Auckland were closed for several hours from approximately 10am this morning (Wednesday November 13) after what was described as a serious collision.
Emergency services responded from all over County Durham including assistance from the Yorkshire Air Ambulance arrived to the scene in the busy County Durham market town. Crews quickly erected a large cordon and advised members of the public to avoid the area as they got to work treating the casualty.
The collision involved an Arriva bus and a pedestrian at a traffic light controlled crossing on Princes Street close to Newgate Street.
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We received a call at 10.20am this morning (Wednesday 13 November) to reports of a road traffic incident on Newgate Street in Bishop Auckland. “We dispatched an ambulance crew, a rapid response paramedic, and a clinical team leader, and received support from our colleagues at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity and North East Immediate Care. “One patient was transported to James Cook hospital by road for further treatment.”
Collision investigators were witnessed removing evidence in bags from the scene, taking 3D scans of the road and environment as well as deploying the police drone for overhead observations.
Traffic in Bishop Auckland was severely delayed as many motorists sought alternative routes as well as local bus services in the town and wider area were faced with delays and disruption to timetables.
Both Arriva the bus operator involved in the collision and Durham Constabulary have confirmed an in-depth investigation has commenced and further information will be shared once it becomes available.
The regions air-ambulance service “The Great North Air Ambulance” has thanked the neighbouring Yorkshire Air Ambulance for their assistance after their own aircraft and service came under unprecedented demand after a chain of incidents across the North East on Wednesday morning.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.