Owner flung from ute during thief's escape

A man has been flung from the back of his ute after trying to stop a thief from pinching it.

He leapt onto the tray when he realised a bandit had climbed behind the wheel of his parked ute in Brisbane early on Monday.

It didn't deter the car thief, who sped off.

The owner eventually lost his grip and landed on the footpath.

Police say he was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

The thief later crashed into a parked car before abandoning the ute.

He remains on the run.