A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl was fighting for her life last night after being airlifted to hospital with critical head injuries from a road crash.A critically injured teenager was also in hospital last night after suffering serious head injuries when the motorbike he was riding collided with a wall in a separate incident.

A FOUR-YEAR-OLD girl was fighting for her life last night after being airlifted to hospital with critical head injuries from a road crash.

A critically injured teenager was also in hospital last night after suffering serious head injuries when the motorbike he was riding collided with a wall in a separate incident.

The four-year-old, daughter of an American serviceman, was injured in a two-car accident in Mildenhall. It took the East Anglian Air Ambulance only 10 minutes to get her to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

Crew members had to wait for about half-an-hour while firefighters used hydraulic cutting gear to free the youngster and her mother, who is in her 20s. She suffered serious pelvic and spinal injuries in the pile-up.

Bob Brotchie, air ambulance spokesman, said both mother and daughter had been flown in the helicopter to Addenbrooke's Hospital. He added that the treatment they had received during the flight had included IV fluid, pain relief and spinal and pelvic immobilisation.

As well as the helicopter, two ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and paramedic and an off-duty paramedic were involved in the rescue operation.

The American family were travelling in a red Sierra when the accident happened at just after 1pm on Saturday on the A1065.

Doctors said last night the girl remained in a critical condition, while her mother's injuries were described as serious, but not life-threatening.

A Suffolk police spokesman said officers were investigating the cause of the accident, which had involved a Mercedes car. He appealed for any witnesses to come forward.

He added there had been five people in the Sierra and, as well as the four-year-old girl and her mother, the three other occupants of the car had needed medical treatment, either at hospital or at the crash scene.

The spokesman said the people who had been travelling in the Mercedes had suffered only minor injuries and had not needed hospital treatment.

In the second accident, a teenager suffered serious head injuries after his motorcycle collided with a wall and, last night, he was in a critical condition at Addenbrooke's Hospital.

The 17-year-old, who has not been named, but comes from the Shotley area, was riding a motorcycle at about 6pm on Saturday on the B1456 at Shotley when the accident happened. He was taken to Ipswich Hospital and transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital.

Anyone with information about the A1065 accident in Mildenhall should contact Suffolk police on 01284 774224.