Lorry driver flown to hospital after bridge crash on A64 near Malton

A LORRY driver whose 30-tonne HGV smashed into a bridge on the A64 was last night sitting up in hospital, having walked away from this devastating wreckage without serious injury. The vehicle, which was carrying grain, hit the Castle Howard flyover two miles from Malton at about 2.25pm yesterday, causing extensive damage and closing the westbound carriageway. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was called and police said they feared the worst. But although the lorry was very badly damaged, its driver escaped life-threatening injury and was last night said by 999 sources to be sitting up in bed and talking. Chief Inspector Ian Thompson said: “The vehicles are very well made and are meant to take the impact and collapse to protect the driver. “From what we first saw we were expecting it to be much more serious which is why the air ambulance was sent. It’s a very happy ending.” The driver was out of the vehicle by the time firefighters arrived and was able to talk to police at the scene. The eastbound carriageway was temporarily closed to allow the air ambulance to land and to airlift the man to York Hospital, but quickly reopened. The westbound carriageway remained closed well into the evening. The lorry driver, whose vehicle was from Clive Warcup hauliers near Driffield, was treated for a cut to his head and abdominal pains, a police spokesman said. No other vehicles or people were involved in the crash. An engineer was sent to check for any structural damage to the bridge, which was found to be safe, a police spokesman said.