Lorry driver’s miracle escape
Published: September 27, 2006
A lorry driver was lucky to escape this horrific crash with his life.
The driver was pulled to safety by a restaurant assistant manager after it had jack-knifed at the Skimpot Road roundabout in Dunstable at lunchtime on Thursday.
Eye-witnesses likened the sound of the crash to a ‘bomb’ exploding and claimed that had anybody been walking on the pavement at the time, they would have been killed instantly.
It is believed the driver of the lorry, who was treated at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital for leg injuries and shock, was forced to brake to avoid hitting a car at the roundabout. The lorry, which was carrying sports equipment and clothing, then toppled over and slid into the railings by the Halfway House restaurant on Poynters Road.
The driver was pulled to safety by assistant manager Lee Edwards.
Witness Barry Stephens, of Katherine Drive, Dunstable said: “I was having a pint outside and heard an almighty bang.
“It was really scary, like a bomb going off and we just saw this lorry sliding towards the pub. It made an awful noise, it was terrifying. We ran backwards and it squashed the railings, knocked the lamp-post down and came to a halt.
“If any pedestrians had been walking along the pavement at that time, they would be dead, no doubt about it.
“Lee was outside and jumped onto the cab and pulled the lorry driver out. He was given a standing ovation for his efforts as none of us were sure if it was going to burst into flames or not and were still in shock.
“His quick-thinking may have saved the driver from suffering further serious injuries.” Mr Edwards was not available for comment, but Jenny Williams, manager of the Warden Beefeater, in Barton Road, Luton, who was at the Halfway House at the time, said: “Lee pulled the driver to safety.
So he’s being dubbed the ‘Halfway Hero’.
“It was very frightening and Lee was very brave.
“It took at least five hours to rectify the lorry and caused a huge traffic jam.
“The lay-out of the roundabout has been changed recently and it has been causing problems.” Recovery agents J&K got the lorry back on its wheels and it was towed away.
Bedfordshire Police say the area was opened again at 5.11pm.
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