A MAN has died and his teenage son has been injured after a horrific car crash in County Durham last night.

The pair were riding pony and trap vehicles in single file along the A689, near Coundon, at 7.30pm last night when a red Nissan Micra driven by a Stockton woman collided with the rear trap and forced it into the leading vehicle.

The driver of the rear trap, 40-year-old Terrence Wood, of Westerton Road, Leeholme, Coundon, died, while the driver of the lead vehicle, his 14-year-old son Lewis, of the same address, suffered a fractured pelvis and extensive cuts and bruises.

Five paramedic crews attended the scene. Lewis Wood was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital then later transferred to the children's IT unit at Newcastle General Hospital where his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

The driver of the car, a woman from Stockton, was taken to Bishop Auckland General Hospital suffering from shock but was released this morning.

Both traps suffered extensive damage and are this morning being examined at a nearby recovery depot. The horses fled the scene and have since been recovered. One has since been destroyed by a vet.