Man arrested after van ‘rolled onto roof and abandoned’ on A19 in County Durham
A man who allegedly fled the scene of a crash which saw the A19 closed for several hours has been arrested. Emergency services were called to a section of the A1018 near Seaham[1], County Durham,[2] where a black Ford Transit Connect had crashed into the barrier with the A19[3] just after midnight on Wednesday morning. National Highways said that the vehicle was "wedged under a barrier" after the collision, while police said the van had "rolled onto its roof".
When officers from Durham Constabulary[4] and Northumbria Police[5] arrived, the driver was not at the scene. The police helicopter was dispatched to help the search, and the driver was found a short distance away. He has since been discharged from hospital and arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.
Keep up to date with all the latest local news from County Durham with our free newsletter[6] A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: "We were called to reports of a single-vehicle collision on the A1018 near Seaham, just after midnight. The driver of a black Ford Transit Connect is believed to have crashed into the barrier, causing the van to roll onto its roof, before abandoning it.
"Officers from both Durham and Northumbria Police attended as well as colleagues from Highways England. The police helicopter was also dispatched to search for the driver. "The suspected driver was found nearby and arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.
The man was taken to hospital before being transported to custody where he remains today." The A19 southbound was closed between the A690 for Sunderland and the A1018/B1404, National Highways confirmed on X, formerly Twitter. The road was confirmed to have reopened at around 4am.
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References
- ^ Seaham (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ County Durham, (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ A19 (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Durham Constabulary (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Northumbria Police (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Keep up to date with all the latest local news from County Durham with our free newsletter (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
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