A MAN is fighting for his life after suffering serious head injuries when his car was hit by a stolen vehicle.

The unnamed 33-year-old, from Seaham, County Durham, is on life support at Newcastle General Hospital, where his condition was described last night as critical.

The man is married and his wife is keeping a bedside vigil.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident and say they are hunting three people who fled the stolen car, apparently unhurt.

The accident happened at 9.55pm on Friday, in Princess Road, Seaham.

The stolen car, a Vauxhall Cavalier, was heading south at speed when it ran into the back of the injured man's Peugeot 206. The Peugeot was forced on to the other side of the road where it collided with a Ford Mondeo taxi travelling in the opposite direction, before hitting a garden wall.

The stolen vehicle then collided with two parked vehicles. Police received reports from a number of witnesses who saw three people running from the stolen vehicle.

Princess Road was closed for three-and-a-half hours as firefighters had to cut the Peugeot driver from the wreckage of his badly-damaged vehicle.

The taxi driver needed hospital treatment for leg and hand injuries, and two female passengers suffered minor injuries.

The Cavalier had been stolen from Duke Street in Seaham.

Police set up an incident room at Seaham police station. Inspector Alan Hutchinson, of the Durham force's accident investigation unit, said: "We are treating this as a major incident.

"We are dealing with this matter with the utmost urgency and diligence, and we are using all the resources available to detect this offence, because it is so serious."

Insp Hutchinson said the injured man's family were devastated.

"We have about a dozen witnesses but we want to identify the people in the stolen car.''

Anyone with information should call the accident investigation unit on 0191-386 4929 or Seaham police station on 0191-581 2255. People can also give information anonymously to Crimestoppers on (0800) 555 111.