Driver's 'miraculous' escape from Shropshire crash

An elderly driver had a "miraculous" escape after the car he was driving left a road on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border, rolled down an embankment and ended up on its roof after it was in collision with another vehicle.

The 73-year-old, of Pattingham, near Shifnal, had to be pulled from the Audi by two passers-by who feared the car would go up in flames because of leaking petrol.

The Audi was involved in a crash with a Vauxhall Corsa on the A41 near Albrighton at about 4.55pm yesterday. Emergency services said the man escaped serious injury despite the severity of the incident.

Murray MacGregor, a spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said the driver had a "miraculous" escape.

He said a doctor and paramedic from the Midlands Air Ambulance at RAF Cosford, close to where the collision happened, were called to the incident.

He said: "The ambulance staff were told that there had been a collision between an Audi and a small car.

"The Audi rolled off the A41, through trees and landed on its roof on a country lane.

"The 73-year-old man, from Pattingham, was stabilised at the scene. Due to the nature of the crash, the doctor on the air ambulance decided that the patient should go to the trauma centre at the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.

"The ambulance took the patient the short distance to RAF Cosford where he was transferred onto the aircraft and flown to hospital.

"After further assessment at the hospital, it became apparent that his only injury was a broken rib.

"A 69-year-old woman in the second car was checked over but was uninjured.

"There is no doubt that the man in the Audi has had a very, very lucky escape from serious injury."

Inspector Mark Hatton, from West Mercia Police, said the Corsa is not believed to have left the road.