AN author is recovering at home after being crushed under the wheels of his own car.

Barry Durham was airlifted to hospital after being pinned between the wheel of his Vauxhall Astra and his driveway.

His son Paul, his postman and a passing window cleaner sprang into action to help the 67-year-old, who came out of the incident without any broken bones.

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The men managed to move the car off Mr Durham and called the emergency services.

After spending four days at Royal Preston Hospital with a chest infection, the dad-of-two and granddad-of-three was discharged to recover further at home in Chipping.

Mr Durham had just returned to his home in Kirklands after dropping two of his grandchildren at a Christmas party but did not use the handbrake to secure the car when he got out.

The vehicle rolled back on the sloping driveway causing him to slip and be trapped by the chest.

He was taken to hospital on a spinal board where scans revealed soft tissue injuries.

Mr Durham, who writes supernatural crime thrillers and children’s books, has been forced to put his latest novel on hold until his injuries heal.

He said: “I was shocked, to say the least, and I’m really lucky to have come out of it without any serious injuries. The chest infection really hurt and that was horrible but I’m on the mend now.

“It’s my own fault really. I was too hasty to get out of the car that I just forgot to put the handbrake on.

“I’m glad that Paul and the others were there because it could have been a lot worse than it was.

“They managed to get the car off me quite quickly and I just could not believe what had happened.

“I was shouting for someone to help and it was a good job that some people were able.”

Mr Durham started writing more than a decade ago in his spare time after moving to the Ribble Valley in 1971.