A TEENAGE boy was fighting for his life last night after being hit by a train as he celebrated his birthday.

Ben Woods lost his left arm and leg in the accident, which happened on the East Coast Main Line, near Darlington.

Police believe the youth - who was celebrating his 17th birthday - stepped out of the way of an on-coming express directly into the path of another train travelling on a parallel line.

A shocked friend who saw the accident called the emergency services on his mobile phone.

Police and paramedics rushed to the accident scene close to Hilltop Farm, near Hurworth.

They stabilised the youth - who lost his arm at the scene - before he was flown by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service to the James Cook helicopter landing site, in Middlesbrough. He was then taken to Middlesbrough General Hospital where surgeons amputated his leg.

It is believed his family were at the hospital last night.

The accident happened at about 3.15pm yesterday on a stretch of line with a top speed in excess of 70mph. He was hit by a GNER express travelling from King's Cross to Newcastle.

British Transport Police were last night investigating how and why the youngster, from Banks Terrace, Hurworth - only yards from the high speed line - came to be on the tracks.

Paramedic Mike Lindley, air support manager for the air ambulance service, was one of those who arrived on the scene at about 3.40pm.

He said: "He had been walking on the rails with his friend, there was a train coming towards him and he stepped off the track onto the other line and was hit by a train coming the other way."

Mr Lindley said Ben's age and general fitness would count in his favour as he battled for life, adding that an older person probably would not have survived the accident.

Sergeant Mitch Bateman, of British Transport Police, said last night: "We don't as yet know the circumstances as to how he came onto the line.

"It just emphasises the dangers of going onto the line - you can't emphasise that enough. People go onto railway lines and it is a dangerous place. There is no other way to put it."

He added: "The surgeons are doing everything they can for him."

Ben's friend was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital where he was last night treated for shock.

Trains on the line were halted during the rescue operation and to give police time to carry out an examination at the scene.

GNER - which operates the majority of services on the line - said its trains to and from London had been delayed by up to half an hour.