Dog raised alarm after its owner crashed car

A dog is deserving of an extra large bone after potentially saving the life of its master, who crashed his car down a steep bank in the Waikato, New Zealand.

The dog raised the alarm at a nearby home in Kawhia on Saturday morning after the 55-year-old man crashed his car through a fence and rolled many times down the bank, coming to rest on its wheels about 100 metres below the road in a paddock.



The crash happened about 11pm on Friday. The driver was unable to move and decided to spend the night in his car. He was not discovered until the dog alerted a nearby house to his predicament. He suffered injuries to his leg and hip in the crash.

The driver told a rescue crew from the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter that he lost control and aquaplaned on the wet road surface before crashing through a fence and down the hill. He initially attempted to make his way back up to the road but, due to his injuries and the wet, steep terrain, he and his dog got back into the car to wait out the night.