A construction worker escaped serious injury after he plunged more than 20 feet off machinery yesterday.

. The 56-year-old man was working with his son on the roof of a new car showroom when he fell off a scissor lift.

He fell into bushes, crashed to the ground and rolled down an embankment. Paramedics spent 10 minutes cutting through the foliage in order to bring the man out on a stretcher.

He was rushed to Durham's University Hospital, where he was last night being treated for a fractured collar bone.

The injured man, who has not been named, runs R Thompson Roofing in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

The family firm, which includes his two sons, was working on the roof of the new Minories Toyota showroom being built in Sunderland Road, Gilesgate, near Durham.

Thompson's had been sub-contracted by Oasis Cladding, based in Richmond, which in turn was working on the showroom for Hull-based PDR Construction.

Joe Cattermole, site manager for PDR, said: "If he hadn't have fallen onto the bushes, things could have been a lot more serious, or even fatal."

It is believed both the man's sons were on site with him, and one was on the scissor lift at the time of the accident.

Mr Cattermole said: "I was in the office when it happened. No one really has a clue how he fell.

"All we could do was make sure he was comfortable and wait for the ambulance to arrive."

The Health and Safety Executive yesterday launched an investigation on site.