A MAN thrown from a stolen Range Rover which careered out of control after it sped away from a police van is fighting for his life on Monday.

The man, believed to be the driver, was catapulted from the car after it mounted the pavement and crashed at high speed into a road sign and a tree.

The man's family, from Farnworth, kept a vigil at his bedside in the intensive care unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital throughout the night.

A hospital spokesman described his condition on a life support machine as "critical".

He was one of two men who suffered serious head injuries in the crash at the junction of Manchester Road and Loxham Street, Moses Gate, at 1.45am on Saturday.

The stolen T-reg Range Rover they had been travelling in crashed minutes after police had tried to stop the vehicle. Both men were taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The passenger, also believed to be from Farnworth, was transferred to Salford's Hope Hospital on Sunday where he underwent emergency surgery. His condition is said to be improving.

It was revealed on Monday that the Range Rover was stolen from the Eccleston area of Lancashire several days ago.

As reported in Saturday's Bolton Evening News, an officer in a police dog van had tried to pull over the gold-coloured Range Rover for a routine check after spotting it being driven in Manchester Road.

The driver refused to stop and sped off towards Farnworth.

The officer followed the Range Rover but lost sight off it. He arrived at the accident scene after the crash and discovered the car on its roof.

Police said the driver was flung from the vehicle as it mounted the pavement and ploughed into an advertising sign, a pedestrian crossing light and tree.

People living in nearby flats heard the crash and ran out out to help the injured men.

One pensioner told how she handed out blankets to cover them - one lying in the middle of the road and the other still in the Range Rover.

"The noise woke me up. It was a really loud bang," she said. "The Range Rover ended up only a few feet from my bedroom window.

"I saw a man lying in the road and the police covered him up with my blanket. He was in a terrible mess."

Police sealed off Manchester Road for more than two hours early on Saturday morning while the men, one of whom is aged 39, were treated by paramedics and taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Sgt Tony Tuffin, of the Road Policing Unit, said: "Both men suffered very serious head injuries. For the driver, the next 48 hours will be crucial to his survival."

Police would like to speak to anyone who saw the Range Rover in Manchester Road, or on its journey towards Moses Gate.

Anyone with information can contact the Road Policing Unit on 0161 856 7072, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.