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Rail passengers were hit by delays today after a fire engine struck a bridge near Middlesbrough railway station.

One person, thought to be a member of the fire crew, was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough following the crash, after suffering a shoulder injury.

A North East Ambulance Service spokeswoman said the injured person^s condition was not life-threatening.

The incident happened at about 11am today close to Boundary Road. All routes from, to and through Middlesbrough were hit by delays of up to 45 minutes after the incident.

Network Rail staff are en route to assess any possible damage to the bridge.

Inquiry after fire engine hits rail bridge in Middlesbrough

(http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/gazettelive2/feb2013/7/9/featured-rail-bridge-368513827.jpg)
The bridge hit in the accident

An investigation is under way after a fire engine struck a rail bridge in Middlesbrough.

A firefighter suffered a fractured collarbone after the smash on Boundary Road near Middlesbrough railway station. The fire engine was on its way back to Middlesbrough Fire Station after attending an incident in Stockton.

The accident caused structural damage to the bridge which led to lengthy train delays as emergency repair work was carried out. The incident happened at 11.07am yesterday.

The injured firefighter was taken to Middlesbrough^s James Cook University Hospital and was released later in the day.

Les Jones, head of community safety at Cleveland Fire Brigade said ^The appliance was on its return journey to Middlesbrough Fire Station from an incident at North Tees Hospital. One firefighter sustained a fractured collarbone and was taken to hospital but has now been released. We have started an internal health and safety investigation into the incident and we will be able to provide more details as soon as the investigation is completed.^

Engineers worked to repair the bridge causing the Northern Rail Thornaby to Middlesbrough service to be suspended. Replacement road transport was arranged. Work continued through the night and the service was back to normal today.

Ian and Geraldine Densham were due to travel to Sunderland for the day to celebrate their wedding anniversary with their children Shaun, 11, Owen three and Juliette, two. However they were left stuck in Middlesbrough due to the delays. Mrs Densham, an employment coach, said: ^We were looking forward to a family day out to Sunderland but we were then told that the trains weren^t running. Everyone in the station was wondering what was going on. It is a shame but we are glad that no one is seriously injured. I think we will go to Saltburn instead.^

Services between Middlesbrough and Whitby and Middlesbrough and Saltburn were unaffected.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: ^We apologise to passengers who were inconvenienced by this incident.^

Shame for Ian and Geraldine (see article).  What on earth does one do in Sunderland for a day out?

What on earth does one do in Sunderland for a day out?