Driver cheats death as truck falls from bridge
Jan 9 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal
A FATHER-OF-TWO last night relived the moment his pick-up truck plummeted 70ft from a bridge – and he escaped with only knocks and grazes.
Steven Leightley, 38, from Bedlington, Northumberland, was driving south along the A1(M) shortly after 6.30am yesterday when his van was in collision with another car, sending him careering through the bridge crash barrier south of junction 63 at Chester-le-Street, County Durham.
The Isuzu Trooper was left a mangled wreck on the south embankment of the River Wear, but Mr Leightley crawled from the truck with only minor injuries and last night spoke of his brush with death.
He said: “I could see this little red car coming across my path. I knew they had not seen me, so I accelerated away but they clipped my truck and sent me into a spin.
“I tried to keep control but I went straight through the barrier.
“When I hit the bottom, and there was grass coming towards me and air bags going off and glass shattering around me, I thought I was being hit by other cars.
“I didn’t realise that I had left the bridge and what I thought were other cars was the impact of hitting the field.
“I have never had an accident before in my life, and then this happens. I never do anything by halves.”
Comforted by his 34-year-old girlfriend Claire Hancock, Mr Leightley was last night being treated for pain and bruising in his back and legs at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead.
From his hospital bed he spoke of the second he realised he was going to crash.
He said: “I could see what was going to happen, but the car just hit me.
“When the truck landed it was on all four wheels, but my leg was trapped.
“I don’t think I was in shock at the time but it has kicked in since.”
He is likely to be off work for up to three months, but is grateful that he is still alive.
He said: “There must be someone looking out for me up there, it’s a miracle.
“If I had been driving something other than that truck, I wouldn’t be here – it saved my life. I didn’t tell my children because I didn’t want them to worry about me – I’m just lucky I get to see them again.”
A Durham Police spokesman confirmed that a red Nissan Micra driven by someone from the Houghton-le-Spring area was involved in the incident, and that an investigation into the cause of the collision was on-going.
He said: “We did manage to trace everybody involved at the scene but if there are any witnesses, we would urge them to contact PC Kirkup on 0845 606-0365.”
A spokesman for Durham Fire and Rescue Service said three of its vehicles attended the scene around 7am yesterday. A spokesman said: “We took a call that a car had left the carriageway and gone over a bridge.
“Officers helped make the vehicle safe and one male who released himself from the vehicle prior to our arrival attended Queen Elizabeth Hospital with minor injuries. He had a very lucky escape.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
‘I thought a dead body would be inside’
The 53-year-old, from Ford Cottage in Chester-le-Street, said: “It really shocks me that something could come down from the bridge so easily, but it’s a fear I’ve always had. The whole barrier was on the ground next to the river.”
Mr Bruce told how he had discovered the wreckage on his way to work yesterday morning and feared that there may be a dead person inside. He said: “I came down and saw that the interior light was on in the vehicle.
“The truck was a total wreck and there was no-one around, so I feared the worst.
“I walked down the embankment worrying what I might see. I couldn’t see anyone in the car so I started looking around. And it was then that people were working on the bridge, and I found out police were there.
“You have to remember that it was dark and there was no noise.”
Share
