ONE of the carjacking suspects injured in a crash in Bromley Cross after a police chase has undergone surgery to save his life.

The man, thought to have been the driver of a Mini that crashed in Darwen Road on Tuesday morning, was airlifted from the scene after being cut out of the car.

The Mini was allegedly stolen in Trinity Street about an hour before the crash, in an incident in which the owner was reportedly threatened with an iron bar and dragged out of the car while waiting at traffic lights.

Two men, aged 25 and 22, who were alleged to have been in the car that was chased by police, have been arrested on suspicion of robbery.

A source close to the family, who asked not to be named, has spoken to a man thought to be a passenger in the Mini.

Speaking about the other man, she said: “It is a life-threatening procedure that he has just had, and we are praying that he pulls through.”

She said that the injuries he suffered will probably be “life-changing”.

The passenger suffered less serious injuries but is still being treated in hospital.

The Mini crashed into a Parcel Force van before flipping on to the roof of a Ford Focus.

The drivers of those two vehicles escaped serious injury.

In a separate incident, a police community support officer suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries later on Tuesday when in collision with a car while he was guarding the scene of the crash.

The officer is recovering in hospital, having suffered a fractured pelvis, fractured coccyx and nerve damage to his hip.

A driver of a Ford Fiesta was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.