A TEENAGER had to be cut free from the wreckage of his vehicle after a serious crash at Cardiff Heights on Wednesday.
Emergency services were called to the multi-vehicle accident on Wallsend Road just after 8.30am. A truck and a four-wheel drive had collided, leaving a male driver trapped.
NSW Fire and Rescue, police and paramedics worked for an hour to free the teenage driver of the four-wheel drive, cutting off the roof of the vehicle to extricate him.
He suffered minor leg injuries in the crash and was taken to John Hunter Hospital for further treatment.
The male truck driver, also a teenager, was treated for minor injuries at the scene before being taken to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.
"NSW Ambulance paramedics arrived to find the 4WD badly damaged and the driver pinned in the vehicle," NSW Ambulance inspector Jason Saper said.
"It was an incredibly delicate operation to free him. Fire and Rescue NSW did an excellent job, cutting through the vehicle and removing the roof so that we could reach the patient.
"We applied a splint to his leg and provided some pain relief before taking him to hospital for further treatment. Considering the extent of the damage, both drivers have been very lucky to escape without serious injuries."
The crash caused long delays for commuters and the site was shut for several hours during the rescue and clean-up.
