A MOTORCYCLIST escaped death after his bike careered out of control on a dual carriageway and caused a five-car pile-up.

Nine people were taken to hospital after the accident, on the north-bound carriageway of the A19 flyover, Middlesbrough, on Friday, at about 11pm.

It is thought that the driver of one of the cars had to brake suddenly after spotting the motorbike and rider lying in the middle of the road. Four more cars then ploughed into the back of each other.

A Volkswagen Golf burst into flames, but the driver had already scrambled out.

A fire brigade spokesman said: "The motorcyclist is very lucky to be alive, as it is difficult to tell how fast the cars were going. If the first one had not managed to stop, he would be dead.

"When the first car came over the flyover, the driver saw him at the last moment, but could not go either side of him and had to put the brakes on, which caused a domino effect."

When firefighters arrived, the casualties were huddled together at the side of the road. They dealt with the blazing car and gave the motorcyclist first aid.

Eight people in the cars were taken to hospital, with back and neck injuries. The motorcyclist is in a stable condition.