A DRIVER was fighting for his life in the Royal Preston Hospital today after suffering massive internal injuries when his car was in a head-on collision with a motorway truck on the outskirts of Padiham.

Jonathan Bettess, 31, of Temple View, Whalley Road, Barrow, is understood to have been driving to work at Queen's Mill, Harle Syke, when he lost contorol of his VW Passatl saloon on a bend on the A671 Whalley Road as he approached the end of the Padiham by-pass -- colliding with the 12-wheel Tarmac wagon, heading toward Read.

His condition today remained critical.

Paramedics and a medical team from Burnley General Hospital battled for an hour to free Mr Bettess, who is originally from Surrey, from the wreckage of his vehicle before he was airlifted by police helicopter to hospital.

The road between the by-pass and Simonstone Lane was closed to traffic for five hours.

John Temple, 52, of Hellifield, the driver of the truck, which ploughed through a 60ft length of stone wall before falling on its side into a field, suffered shock and slight whiplash injuries and was allowed home after treament at Burnley General.