A MOTHER was keeping a vigil at her son’s hospital bedside last night, after a metal fence weighing quarter of a tonne fell on him, leaving him seriously injured.

Christopher Jefferson, nine, was playing with his identical twin, Josh, near their home when the steel fence crashed down on his head, leaving him with a suspected fractured skull and broken wrist.

Last night, his mother, Josie, was keeping a constant vigil at his bedside in Newcastle General Hospital.

His father, Steven, said the family were spending as much time at hospital as they could, at what was a very worrying time.

The accident happened shortly after 4pm on Sunday, near Christopher’s home, in Lambton Terrace, Craghead, near Stanley, County Durham.

Sarah Booth, from the Great North Air Ambulance, said a helicopter was rushed to the scene at 4.37pm.

By the time the medics arrived, Christopher was back at the family home, where he was assessed by a doctor and a paramedic.

“It was very obvious he had a severe head injury,” Ms Booth said.

Christopher was placed on a spinal board and airlifted to Newcastle General Hospital, in a flight lasting seven minutes.

Having rushed to his bedside, relatives returned home late on Sunday night.

However, they were called back to hospital early yesterday morning, when Christopher was taken back into theatre, where he underwent surgery to relieve a build-up of pressure on his brain.

Meanwhile, twin Josh and sisters Emma, one, and Sarah Mills, 19, were being comforted at home by their grandmother, Audrey Jefferson.

Mrs Jefferson, 61, of Constable Close, Stanley, said yesterday: “We are still waiting to find out exactly what happened.

“All we know is it’s been awful and we are just waiting and praying for him to pull through.

“Doctors said there was a build-up of pressure on his brain, which is why he was having surgery this morning.

“Apparently, before the air ambulance arrived Christopher managed to give his dad a thumbs-up when he rushed to be by his side.”

Christopher attends Greenland Primary School, in Stanley.

A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said the fence which fell on him had been there for a while and was used to block off an old footpath.

A spokeswoman for the Health and Safety Executive said it was conducting preliminary inquiries.