A MAJOR rescue operation was launched today after a driver and a puppy were trapped in a van.
The Lancashire police helicopter was called to shine light on the vehicle after it left the road and veered down an embankment in Preston New Road, Samlesbury, near the Little Chef.
Firefighters spent almost an hour trying to cut 36-year-old Mark Lomas from the wreckage of his Transit van. They then had to free his young labrador from under the clutch pedal.
Paramedics and a Med-Alert doctor treated Mr Lomas, from the Wigan area, at the scene before he was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital.
A vet from the Bamber Bridge area treated the dog which suffered leg injuries.
Doctors today described Mr Lomas, who suffered head, face and chest injuries, as "comfortable".
Police said the Ford Transit van collided with a speed restriction sign on the A677 at 12.45am before it veered down the steep embankment and hit a tree.
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