A WOMAN and her young family escaped serious injury when their car was involved in a collision with a fire engine.

The crash was the second in two weeks involving an emergency vehicle responding to a call.

The tender was on its way to Carter Bequest Hospital, in Cambridge Road, Middlesbrough, at about 11.45am on Thursday.

As the tender, from Middlesbrough Fire Station, travelled along Ormesby Road, in Berwick Hills, it collided with a car leaving the Kwik Save supermarket.

The occupants, a young woman, who was driving, and a number of children, all walked away shocked but otherwise unscathed.

Bakery worker Sue Patton, 47, of Morgan's Bakery, said she heard a loud bang while she was working close to the scene.

She said: "We didn't hear any sirens, just a crash, and when we went outside we saw the car and the fire engine in the middle of the road.

"The car was so crumpled that the woman and kids couldn't get out. Firemen had to help them out.

"The kids were in shock and shaking but they weren't badly injured. The car was completely trashed - I can't believe they weren't seriously injured.

"There will have been dozens of witnesses because traffic had been diverted along this road from other road closures."

A Cleveland Fire Brigade spokesman said: "A collision did occur and there will be an investigation as to what happened."

A mechanic from Middlesbrough-based Auto Rocovery Services said it was called to tow away the Dennis appliance at 12.10pm on Thursday. He said: "There was a near side front puncture and front end damage. There was also a damaged step. We took it to the fire brigade's repair centre in Thornaby."

Last Friday, a police car was damaged when it collided with a fire engine in Middlesbrough.