Motorbike rider critically injured in crash with van near Sedgley
A motorbike rider was left fighting for his life after a crash involving a van on a Black Country road.
The van and motorbike crashed on Gospel End Road near Sedgley at around 12.30pm on Wednesday.
The male motorcyclist was taken to hospital with critical injuries while the van driver, also a man, was also taken to hospital but is not thought to have been seriously hurt.
The road was shut throughout Wednesday afternoon while emergency services dealt with the crash and specialist collision investigators examined the scene.
Cones were put in place across the A463 next to the Summerhouse pub in Gospel End Village and the road was cordoned off next to Baggeridge Village.
A spokeswoman for Staffordshire Police said the motorbike had been travelling from Sedgley towards Wombourne when the crash happened and that the male rider's injuries were "life-threatening and life-changing".
Firefighters joined paramedics at the scene and made the vehicles safe before leaving the scene in the care of Staffordshire Police.
The van driver was checked for a possible chest injury and shock, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said.
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Ambulance Service added: "We were called at 12.34pm to reports of a road traffic collision involving a motorbike and a van on Gospel End Road, Dudley.
"Two ambulances and a Critical Care Car from Midlands Air Ambulance attended the scene.
"On arrival, we found two patients, both men.
"The first patient, the motorcyclist, was assessed and had sustained serious injuries, he received advanced trauma care on scene and was conveyed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for further treatment.
"The second patient, the driver of the van, was conveyed to Russells Hall Hospital for further assessment."
