Car plunges 20ft off A56 bridge (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Car plunges 20ft off A56 bridge

4:21pm Sunday 22nd November 2009 in

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A COUPLE escaped serious injury when their luxury car ploughed off a busy dual-carriageway bridge and fell 20ft on to a road below.

The £40,000 Mercedes CLK crashed off the northbound A56 bypass, smashed through metal barriers and landed on its wheels in Northfield Road, Rising Bridge, police said.

Amazingly, businessman Craig Mather, 38, and his wife, Bethan, 29, from Nottingham, were not seriously injured, with police saying the sturdiness of the car may have saved their lives.

Road officers said no other vehicle was involved in the crash at around 3.20pm yesterday.

Sgt Mick Young said: “If they had been in a less substantial car than their Mercedes, we probably would be looking at far more serious injuries or even death.

“They were really lucky to survive this collision. It is only good luck that no one was driving or walking along Northfield Road at the time.”

Fire crews from Haslingden were unable to cut through the car’s roof with metal cutting equipment and instead had to pull the passenger-side door off to get the couple out.

The pair were taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital. Mr Mather suffered multiple spinal injuries and his wife had a collapsed disc.

However, last night police described their injuries as “not life-threatening or life-changing”.

Sgt Young said: “It would appear that the driver lost control, hit the hard metal barrier, skidded along it and then slipped down the embankment and on to the road below.

"Somehow the car managed to land on its wheels.”

Officers closed the northbound section of the A56 for around three hours following the crash while debris was cleared, reopening it at 6.30pm.

The closure caused heavy congestion around Haslingden and Accrington.

Any witnesses should call police on 01254 353210.