'Wrong-way' crash teens suffer serious injuries

Pamela TickellNorth East and Cumbria
News imageGoogle The four lane road has a metal barrier running down the central reservation. The road, which is bordered by trees, has two slip roads coming off of it at an incline on either side. There are half a dozen cars in the distance.Google
The A69 was shut in both directions between West Denton and Throckley

Two teenagers believed to have been in a car travelling the wrong way down a major road have suffered "life-changing injuries", police said.

The A69 in Newcastle was shut overnight between West Denton and Throckley as a result of the the accident, which happened at about 00:30 BST.

Northumbria Police said they received reports of a white Peugeot 108 travelling eastbound on the westbound carriageway and crashing with a red Citroen Picasso.

A force spokesman said: "Emergency services attended and the two occupants of the Peugeot, two women in their late teens, were both found to have sustained life-changing injuries."

The occupant of the Citroen suffered minor injuries, police added.

The road remained shut well into Wednesday with rush hour diversions in place but has since has fully reopened.

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said it freed a woman trapped in one of the vehicles.

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) also sent several crews to the scene together with the Great North Air Ambulance Service, with all three patients taken to the the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

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