An elderly woman has been taken to hospital after being cut free from a car following a three-vehicle crash in Gateshead.
Emergency services were called to Chainbridge Road in Blaydon at around 3.25pm on Friday to reports of a traffic collision.
Police closed the A695 Derwenthaugh Road in both directions as the North East Ambulance Service dispatched a rapid response paramedic and a double-crewed ambulance to the scene.
Further assistance was required from firefighters to extricate a woman who was trapped in a car involved in the crash.
Crews from Swalwell and West Denton used cutting equipment and spreading tools to stabilise the vehicles before freeing the casualty, who had suffered back and chest injuries.
She was then passed on to paramedics before being transported to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary for further treatment.
A North East Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We were called at 3.21pm to a road traffic collision on the A695 Chainbridge Road in Blaydon.
"We dispatched a rapid response paramedic and a double crewed ambulance to the scene.
"We have transported an elderly woman who is experiencing back and chest pains to the RVI."
Chainbridge Road and the A695 were closed for around three hours, which caused chaos for drivers on Friday evening.
Huge queues could be seen on Derwenthaugh Road and Scotswood Road with traffic also being affected on the A1.
Police reopened both carriageways to traffic again at around 6.30pm.
