A MAN has been rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries after his arm was crushed beneath a truck.

The pedestrian, who is in his 40s, suffered significant injuries to his right arm after becoming trapped underneath a Travis Perkins truck on Pinecliff Road, Poole, at 2.20pm yesterday afternoon.

It is thought that the middle-aged man had been crossing the road, close to Canford Cliffs Library, when he was involved in the collision with a green Travis Perkins drop side DAF truck.

Firefighters and paramedics took almost an hour to free him before he was taken by ambulance to Southampton Hospital with a police escort. A South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust spokesperson described his injuries as life-threatening.

Pinecliff Road was closed from the junction with Beach Road and Western Road for several hours. Traffic was diverted to Weston Avenue.

Due to the seriousness of the incident police kept the road closed to allow specially trained crash investigators examined the scene.

The driver was badly shaken and both he and another male passenger from the HGV were offered medical assistance from paramedics but declined it.

Mike Smithies, 55, from Canford Cliffs said: “It’s quite frightening that this has happened. It’s quite an unusual place to cross the road. You don’t generally get a lot of traffic along this road, but there’s obviously going to be more because of the school holidays.”

Fire crews from Westbourne and Poole arrived to assist with the rescue of the man and a specialist heavy rescue appliance was also requested from Blandford, but was later stood down.

Traffic Officer PC Craig Redmond said that Dorset Police are keen to trace the movements of the male pedestrian prior to the incident, who was wearing a blue t-shirt and dark trousers.

Witnesses and anyone with information should contact Dorset Police on 101, quoting incident number 244.