THE DRIVERS and passengers of a car which broke down by Birmingham Airport had a lucky escape when a van crashed into their car shortly after they got out.
Paramedics were called to the A45 Coventry Road, next to Birmingham Airport runway, at 3.30pm on Monday (June 15).
When the single ambulance arrived, the crew found a Citroen Xsara Picasso with massive rear end damage.
It had broken down on a corner on the dual carriageway and been struck by a flatbed van carrying tree trunks.
The driver of the van, a 20 year old man, was taken to Heartlands Hospital with burns to face from the airbag and chest bruising from seatbelt.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Fortunately, the occupants of the Picasso were on the verge and were uninjured.
“It is more than fortunate that they were out of the vehicle.
“Anyone who had been in the rear would have been very badly injured as everything up to the driver’s seat, essentially disappeared.
“If anyone ever wondered why you should get out of a broken down vehicle, this is it.
“You can see the level of damage involved.
“It doesn’t bear thinking about what would have happened to someone in the back.”
