Sleeping man in serious condition after falling from ute

File photo / Herald on Sunday

A 24-year-old man who fell off a ute after the driver drove off without realising he was asleep on the back is in a serious condition in Waikato Hospital.

The man was airlifted from Thames by the Westpac Waikato Air Ambulance to Waikato hospital at about 3am today after he suffered a serious head injury in the fall.

The man was reportedly asleep on the back of the ute - unbeknown to the driver - when it was driven off, Westpac Waikato Air Ambulance pilot Dan Harcourt said.

He was initially treated by St John paramedics and taken to Thames Hospital Emergency Department but was transferred to Waikato Hospital this morning, where he remains in a serious condition.

- NZPA