A BABY was fighting for his life last night after a car crashed into his family in a weekend of tragic accidents on the region's roads.

The family of five were walking near their home in West Cornforth, County Durham, yesterday afternoon when a car veered off the road and hit the child's buggy.

Callum Taylor suffered serious head injuries and was last night said to be in a critical condition at Newcastle General Hospital.

His father, Brian Taylor, 29, managed to grab his eldest son, six-year-old Thomas, and throw him out of the way before the VW Passat mounted the pavement.

But the silver car crashed into a tandem pushchair carrying Mr Taylor's children - Charlotte, 21 months, and eight-month-old Callum. Charlotte was thrown from the buggy, but Callum suffered head injuries.

The children's mother, 29-year-old Katrina, escaped unhurt but was deeply shaken by the accident.

Two men in the vehicle, both aged 20, were taken into police custody and questioned by accident investigators, after receiving treatment for shock at Bishop Auckland General Hospital.

The driver was interviewed at Newton Aycliffe police station and released yesterday.

The passenger was being held at Bishop Auckland police station last night and is expected to be sent to prison this morning after it was discovered he was on parole. His licence was revoked yesterday.

Yesterday's crash was one of a series of accidents over the festive period.

A man died late on Boxing Day when his black BMW 535 car careered off the A167 between Chilton and Ferryhill, County Durham, colliding with a street light and trees.

Early yesterday morning, the A19 northbound was closed for three hours after a crash near the Easington Village slip-road, in which two 22-year-old men sustained head injuries.

Witnesses are asked to contact Durham Police on 0191-375 2159.