Driver cut free in horror car smash
Resident say it is by sheer luck no fatality occurred when a car mounted a pavement in Waterloo during a road smash.
They used hydraulic cutting equipment to slice open the vehicle’s roof and scoop the man to safety.
The shaken man was taken by ambulance to Wishaw General Hospital.
A woman and a second man were also taken to the hospital for precautionary check-ups.
One resident, who didn’t want to be named, said it was an accident waiting to happen on the road.
“If anyone had been walking there, or standing at the nearby bus stop, they would have been killed,” he added.
Police continued to clear up debris while both vehicles were taken away on loaders.
Eyewitnesses said several fire engines and ambulances were on the scene with the passenger of the VW Golf being cut free from the wreckage.
She is believed to have suffered at least a severe shoulder injury.
The accident occurred just yards from Waterloo Community Centre where a local pensioners group were enjoying a lunch.
One neighbour added: “The corner of the road is always trouble. Drivers come flying up there.
“It’s a good job that there wasn’t anyone walking up the street at that time or they would have been in real trouble.
A Waterloo resident, who witnessed the aftermath of the road crash, said the council have made the road more dangerous.
“The car had mounted the pavement and smashed into a wall in front of a house,” he added. “If anyone had been walking there, or standing at the nearby bus stop, they would have been killed.”
Jim Brownlie, vice-chairman of Overtown and Waterloo Community Council, said: “It looked like a really serious one and there were three fire engines around two cars.
“The road had been blocked off and you could see there was a lot of damage to both cars.
“From speaking to a couple of people it seems like one of the cars had tried to turn in the road and was struck by a car coming the other way.
“It looked like the car had taken a big whack.”
A police spokesman said: “Police, Fire Service and Ambulance Service attended immediately and injured parties were taken to hospital where their conditions continue to improve.
“One man has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for Section 3 Road Traffic Act (Careless driving).”