Pensioner injured as car slips off harbour’s edge

Alert: Emergency services attend alarming incident on Saturday

Emergency workers launched a “major” response at the weekend after an elderly man reversed his vehicle off Broughty Ferry harbour.

Two fire and rescue appliances, an inshore lifeboat crew and an ambulance joined at least four Police Scotland vehicles at the scene at around 4pm on Saturday.

A man, understood to be in his late seventies or early eighties, was taken to hospital, to be checked over after injuring his hand.

Eyewitnesses described their shock after seeing the vehicle lying on its side as teams worked to free the pensioner.

Paul Mcgillvery, 33, from Monikie, was visiting the area with his father-inlaw when he happened upon the scene.

He said: “We were walking back towards our car at around 4.15pm and we heard sirens as we approached Gray Street.

“There was a really large police presence and we saw the fire service just arriving around that time as well.

“When we got to the harbour area, we saw that a car appeared to have gone completely over on to the jetty as if someone had left their handbrake off or just reversed straight over the edge. “It was quite a shock really.

“It’s not the kind of thing you see every day.

“We were also worried, given the major response, that someone could be seriously hurt.

“There’s no railing there and I have thought before that there would be no way to stop a vehicle if it was to go over.”

A police spokesman said: “We received several calls shortly before 4pm of an incident involving one vehicle and a man described as being in his late seventies or early eighties.

“It appears the gentleman was parked up and went backwards instead of forward which has taken him off on to the slipway.

“He was taken to hospital to be checked over after sustaining a cut to his hand but there appeared to be no other serious injuries.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue service said: “Two of our appliances, including a full water rescue response unit, were sent to the scene following a request for assistance at around 4.05pm.

“One male was removed from a vehicle prior to arrival and was left in the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service.”

dhealey@thecourier.co.uk

Picture: Roderick Stewart. Emergency services at Broughty Ferry and the car lying on its side on the jetty.