A CAR passenger was last night fighting for life in hospital after the car in which he was travelling was involved in a high speed crash in Bradford.

The red Volkswagen Golf, was being driven at high speed along Gilpin Street when it crashed into a parked car, a lamppost, and one of the walls of St Clement's Church in Barkerend.

The casualty, who is believed to have been a back seat passenger, suffered "serious" injuries and his condition was described as "critical".

A second male, thought to be a passenger in the front seat, was also taken to hospital with serious, but not life-threatening, injuries.

Police were last night still hunting for the car driver, who according to witnesses, fled the scene after being picked up in a silver Volkswagen.

The incident happened shortly after 11am yesterday, with police cordoning off sections of Gilpin Street, Feather Road, and Webster Street.

A number of witnesses said the car was travelling at high speed before the collision, describing the three occupants as being aged somewhere between 14 and 18.

The crashed Volkswagen ended up on a driveway next to the church with significant damage to its front and left-hand side and its back window smashed.

One witness said: "The first I heard was a screeching of brakes and then a loud bang, almost like a bomb blast. They lost control, and must have been doing more than 70 miles an hour when it happened."

Another man said he had tried to convince the driver of the car to stay at the scene, but said he flagged down a silver Volkswagen and was driven away.

“The car must have been doing 70 or 80 miles an hour easily. It hit a speed bump and flew into the air.

“There were no other cars chasing them, they were by themselves.

“I tried to talk to the driver, but he wouldn't listen, he just got in another car and it drove off.

“You could see the other two men were injured. One was unconscious and the other was really struggling for breath."

One resident who lives on Gilpin Street said she heard the crash from the back room of her house and ran out to try to help the injured passengers.

"I heard it from the back room, but it all happened so fast," she said.

"I thought a lorry had crashed, that's how loud it was.

"I ran to the car and two lads got out. The driver just stood there holding his arm, and then he got picked up in another car.

"One of the passengers couldn't move, he just lay down in the road. I could see the other man was unconscious."

The woman added that cars speeding and skidding on the streets around Gilpin Street was a common problem.

"I daren't let my kids out of my sight if they're playing outside, it's just not safe. If someone had been on the pavement today, they would have been killed.

"This kind of thing is happening too often, and something has to be done."

Detective Inspector Ryan Bragg, of Bradford District CID, said the hunt for the driver was continuing and he urged anyone with information about him to contact police on 101.