A COURIER was knocked unconscious after a tree branch was blown onto the van he was driving - crushing the roof and shattering the windscreen.

The Ford Transit then careered out of control, mounting a footpath and knocking down a bollard before crashing through a fence and hedge into the grounds of a Darlington infants school.

Had the accident happened an hour or so earlier the area - close to one of the school's main entrances - would have been packed with parents and children.

Driver Paul Hunt suffered a fractured skull and bleeding to the brain after the accident which happened as the region was buffeted by strong winds.

The 31-year-old, who runs PH Couriers and Removals, has been told he cannot drive for 12 months due to his injuries and must have two weeks complete bed rest.

Mr Hunt, who is now recovering at his parents' Darlington home after being discharged from hospital has no memory of the accident which happened at about 4.30pm on Monday outside Abbey Infants School on Cleveland Terrace.

His father Brian, 63, told The Northern Echo that eyewitnesses had reported the van had been hit by a branch.

"A big branch - and I mean big; it was about ten inches in diameter - came down and hit the roof of the van," he said.

"It knocked my son out and the roof collapsed in. He was unconscious but momentum kept the van going.

"It swerved off the road, demolished a post and then went through the hedge and the fence at the school."

A four inch square fence post also speared into the cab of the van, which is a write off.

Mr Hunt was initially taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital before being transferred to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where he spent a night on the high dependency unit after a brain scan revealed the extent of his injuries.

He is recuperating at his parents' home, with support from his partner, Helen, mother Judith and his father.

Mr Hunt snr said the family were rallying round to keep the business, which was set up a year ago, going strong.

"He should have been at home at that time," he said. "If he'd been five seconds earlier, or five seconds later, he would have missed it.

"I don't even want to think about what would have happened if it had been at school home time. I am just glad he is going to be ok."

* The Northern Echo incorrectly reported on Thursday that the accident happened outside Abbey Junior School on Abbey Road and that no-one was seriously hurt. The information was supplied by Darlington Borough Council. We are happy to set the record straight.