Jim Smith's Rams took a giant stride to Premiership safety by crushing midlands rivals Leicester in an extraordinary demolition derby at Pride Park.

First-half goals from Craig Burley, Rory Delap and Dean Sturridge took Derby five points clear of the drop zone after a performance overshadowed by a horrific first-half injury to Stan Collymore.

The Leicester front man will be out for the rest of the season after breaking his leg just above the left ankle when he slipped after playing a pass on 15 minutes.

Collymore fell to the ground in agony, and the game was held up for six minutes as he was strapped to a stretcher and carried from the field.

Leicester also lost Darren Eadie, who also went off on a stretcher 20 minutes from time following a challenge by Rory Delap.

They finished the game with 10 men when Neil Lennon, already booked, stupidly tried to prevent Burley taking a quick free-kick and was shown the red card by over-worked referee Graham Poll.

It was a fierce encounter which will live long in the memory of all those who saw it - ironically the 25,763 crowd was Derby's second lowest of their Premiership season.

Burley, returning for the first time since February following a hamstring problem, thundered home the opener two minutes before Collymore's terrible injury.

Giorgi Kinkladze laid back a Seth Johnson corner, and man-of-the-match Burley blasted his 25-yard effort low to Pegguy Arphexad's right.

Burley was then on hand at the other end to clear the rebound from Ian Marshall's effort, with Robbie Savage closing in for what would have been a certain equaliser.

Derby cranked up the pace as the half drew to a close and grabbed their vital second goal when Delap headed strongly past Arphexad from a Johnson corner.

In time added on, Sturridge - himself starting for the first time since February - headed home Delap's cross from the right after he had retrieved Branko Strupar's long-range free-kick.

Leicester started better in the second half, Marshall heading Eadie's cross just over and Matt Elliott - who was playing after the recovery of his month-old son from serious illness - forced a superb point-blank save out of Mart Poom.

Kinkladze was substituted by cautious boss Smith as the game became niggly, but Derby should have made it four moments after Lennon's dismissal.

When Burley eventually managed to take the free-kick he found Strupar, who crossed for the unmarked Sturridge to miss completely with the goal at his mercy.

Leicester's woes were summed up after 73 minutes when Gerry Taggart crossed for Elliott, and the big defender saw his shot from the edge of the six-yard box blocked on the line by his team-mate Muzzy Izzet.

When Leicester did find the net in the 80th minute Steve Guppy's header was ruled offside.

Derby were content to revel in their big advantage - but Belgian Strupar should have made it four in injury time.

He was teed up just inside the box following an almighty goalmouth scramble but fired tamely wide. That did not matter, though, to the buoyant Rams.