Police and paramedics were called to the A167 just after 1am today (August 5) after a rider and pillion passenger fell from a Yamaha 600cc motorbike. The pillion passenger, a woman in her twenties, was left with life-changing injuries and was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham for treatment. The bike is believed to have been travelling northbound from Chilton to Ferryhill at the time of the incident. The crash was one of two overnight in County Durham, the second being on the B6532 in Edmondsley. A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We were called just after 1am this morning (August 5) to reports that a rider and pillion passenger had fallen from a motorbike on the A167 in Ferryhill.