Man trapped in van after crash airlifted to hospital

A man travelling in a van suffered a suspected spinal injury in a collision. Firefighters spent almost two hours trying to free the 66-year-old casualty, who was a passenger in the vehicle, which hit a lamppost. Emergency services were called to the scene, opposite the National Space Centre, on the A6 Abbey Lane, Leicester, just after 6am on Saturday. Crews from the city's Western fire station were joined by the fire service's technical rescue unit to cut the man out of the van. A fire spokesman said the man was freed at about 7.50am. He was then airlifted to University Hospital Coventry by aWarwickshire and Northampton Air Ambulance crew. An air ambulance spokeswoman said: "We were called to the scene just after 7am and assessed the patient, who had been trapped in the vehicle for about an hour. "It was suspected that the casualty had a spinal injury. "He was immobilised and flown to University Hospitals Coventry for further assessment and treatment." The extent of the man's injuries is not known at this stage. Abbey Lane was closed while the rescue operation took place and the carriageway was cleared. It reopened at 9.55am. Anyone who witnessed the incident should call Leicestershire police on 101.