A TEENAGER who was dragged 50 metres underneath a lorry has been “incredibly lucky” to escape without more serious injuries, a paramedic said today.

The 15-year-old boy from Greatham, near Hartlepool, a pupil at Manor College of Technology in Hartlepool, was struck by a heavy goods vehicle on the westbound A689 road at 3.35pm yesterday and airlifted to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where he remains in a stable condition.

He was dragged some 50 metres down the carriageway underneath the lorry and was trapped under the vehicle when emergency services arrived.

Stuart Thompson, a paramedic with the Great North Air Ambulance, said: “We arrived on scene and the boy was still stuck underneath the vehicle. We worked with the Ambulance Service paramedics to get him out of there.

“He had sustained suspected head and abdominal injuries, so the treatment on the roadside was all about protecting his head, back and pelvis.

“Considering what had happened and the scene as we initially found it, it is remarkable that he was not more seriously injured. He has been incredibly lucky.”

Cleveland Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident, which happened at about 3.35pm at Greatham. Anyone with information is asked to call the non-emergency number 101.