AN 11-year-old girl was fighting for life in hospital after an horrific four-vehicle smash on a main North Yorkshire road.

The girl was a passenger in the back of a car which had broken down on the York-bound side of the A64 Malton bypass when the crash happened at 1.15 pm yesterday afternoon.

It caused several hours of delays to Bank Holiday traffic and was the latest in an Easter weekend of accidents, which saw a man die in a crash at Gate Helmsley on Sunday night, and another car to overturn and at Huntington, without casualty.

The girl was a passenger in the back of a red Mercedes 190 car which had broken down on the York-bound side of the A64 Malton bypass when the crash happened early yesterday afternoon.

Police said three vehicles were in collision with the stricken car - an HGV and two saloon cars towing caravans - at about 1.15pm.

The injured youngster, believed to be from Bradford, was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary with a head wound described as "very serious". Last night, her condition in hospital was said to be "very poorly".

She was thought to have been travelling in the car with a family of three, a mother, father and daughter also believed to be from Bradford.

They were all taken to York Hospital with injuries that were described as "serious, but not believed life-threatening".

Passengers in the remaining three vehicles, none of whom were thought to be local, were said to be uninjured in the crash.

Traffic Constable Daniel Spence, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "It was a particularly horrific accident due to the fact it involved a family and young children."

Police are appealing for any witnesses to the crash, or anyone who saw the broken-down Mercedes, to phone the eastern area Road Policing Group on 01723 509662.

They would particularly like to speak to the drivers of a white caravanette and another car towing a caravan which was said to have passed the accident scene.

Police closed the westbound section of dual carriageway for nearly seven hours yesterday while they investigated the horror smash, causing lengthy Bank Holiday traffic queues.

PC Spence said the crash has caused "considerable" traffic problems, with diversions in place away from the scene.

He said: "Traffic was queuing for miles along the length of Malton bypass and all the way down to York."

Meanwhile, a car overturned and hit a lamp-post on a York road.

Passers-by called emergency services when they spotted the Nissan Primera on its roof on Yearsley Bridge, Huntington Road, at about 5pm yesterday.

Police said the driver of the car, which has no registered owner, had left the scene by the time officers arrived.

They towed the badly damaged car away yesterday afternoon. A spokesman said no one was thought to have been injured in the single vehicle crash.

Anyone with any information should phone police on 0845 6060247.

Yesterday's crashes came after an accident on Sunday at Gate Helmsley, on the York to Bridlington road, left one man dead and another seriously injured.

Updated: 11:02 Tuesday, March 29, 2005