Good Samaritans end up with roofless car

A couple were forced to allow firefighters to cut off the roof of their undamaged car after inviting the victim of a car crash to take refuge in their vehicle. Natalie Brain and her boyfriend leapt to the rescue of the female driver after seeing her clamber out of the wreckage of her overturned Mini. Fearing the car would catch fire, they invited the shocked woman to sit in their own vehicle while they dialled 999. But when emergency services arrived at the scene, paramedics decided the driver had possible spinal injuries and insisted she could not be lifted out through the car door.

Miss Brain, 20, said she had no regrets about the incident and would happily do the same again. The injured victim has since been released from hospital. She said: “My boyfriend was checking over the Mini when he suddenly shouted that he could see smoke and sparks. It looked like the engine compartment had caught fire and of course we were worried about the petrol leaking and exploding. We decided it wasn't safe to stay near the Mini so we carefully put the woman driver into our car. We did the right thing. We could not sleep that night as all I could see when I closed my eyes was the girl covered in blood and the smoke rising from her car.”



The bizarre incident happened following the crash in Blackwater, Surrey, during the evening of September 25. Chris Sayers, crew manager at Yateley Fire Station, said it had come as a “complete surprise” when paramedics asked his team to use their hydraulic cutting gear. Describing the incident as “very rare” he added “The owners of the Rover were a really nice couple, they understood what had to be done. As far as they were concerned they had done everything right to look after this young lady.”

Following the incident, Miss Brain and her boyfriend were forced to contact friends to get a lift back to their home. Police later removed both the Rover and the Mini, which was gutted by fire. Fortunately the injured woman's insurers were sympathetic to their story and even offered the couple a courtesy car. Miss Brain added: “Despite the highly unusual nature of our situation, having had our undamaged car left with no roof, her (the female victim) insurance company were eventually very understanding and even provided a courtesy hire car to help me get around. And in spite of all the turmoil it was a real relief to hear from the police that the woman we had helped has been released from hospital.”