Police called to crash at junction of Plodder Lane and Harper Green Road in Farnworth

A taxi driver and his passenger were thrown from a Skoda Octavia, said a witness, and the driver of a Vauxhall Astra feld the scene on foot, said police.

The passenger suffered a fractured leg, fractured ribs and head injuries. The taxi driver was suffering from concussion and head injuries and both were taken to Salford Royal Hospital, said police.

VIDEO: Shocking CCTV footage captures serious Plodder Lane car crash

The collision happened at the junction of Plodder Lane and Harper Green Road, Farnworth, at about 8.35pm on Sunday night.

The taxi collided with the wall of the Premier convenience store and the Vauxhall reversed into the garden wall of a nearby house and destroyed it.

Witnesses said the driver of the Vauxhall was speeding and driving on the wrong side of the road before the crash.

Prafula Patel, aged 52, was working in the shop when the car slammed into the wall.

She said: "I was in the shop. I heard a big bang. I started to panic, I was so shaken. The door of the car had fallen in and the air bags were out.

"The car had completely opened up. The other car was in the wall.

"The whole building shook. I didn't sleep at all last night. We have CCTV of the crash and so does the business next door."

The shutters on the shop were damaged by the impact and the windows had to be boarded up.

The road was closed until around 3.30am on Monday while police dealt with the incident and recovered the vehicles.

The ambulance service and fire crews were also on the scene.

A resident, who did not wished to be named, was in the house where the wall was destroyed.

Describing what happened, she said: "There was a guy speeding up the road. He was on the wrong side of the road. He went into the side of the taxi when it was turning right into Plodder Lane.

"He then reversed into our wall and got out of his car. He looked at the car and then he ran off.

"The police and the fire service got here really quickly.

"We were looking out of the window to see what was going on and the guy was running off, we came out to the front door and the police were there already."

She added that the wall can be repaired quite easily.

Watch manager, Oliver Deller, from Farnworth fire station, said that the driver of the taxi was so confused he was not sure if the person who was injured had been in the car or if he had hit a pedestrian.

Scene of crime investigators were seen on the road on Sunday night as police investigated the incident.