‘Lost’ family crash into ditch moments after driver beeps at them for stopping on 50mph road – The Sun, Thesun.co.uk

THIS is the extraordinary moment a “lost” family crashed into a ditch moments after a driver beeped them for stopping on a 50 mph road.

Dashcam footage shows the white Alfa Romeo plunging off the scenic A 623 near Castleton, Derbyshire, after missing a sharp corner.

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The driver is seen flying off the large embankment with her mum and brother in the car – before the vehicle crashes to the ground and rolls on its side.

Incredibly, the entire family in the car escaped with no serious injuries.

Richard Walker – who had beeped his horn – rushed to help them, saying the family were all “a bit shaken up”.

‘PANIC MODE’

The 37 – year-old has admitted he found the situation particularly “awkward” and says he originally felt “some responsibility” for the incident.

However Richard has since rewatched the footage and believes that the accident on August 13 was not fault of his and believes the new driver may have been looking at her sat nav.

Richard, from Buxton, Derbys., Said: “[When they crashed I thought] ‘oh my god they’ve gone over the hill, I hope they’re alright, Jesus Christ’. I was more worried about their Safety.

“I was in panic mode. I jumped out of the car, I was on my own, and there were no other cars around me at first. The car was down the ditch and I thought ‘right, am I going down the ditch? ‘

“Then I saw a group of cars coming the other way and I was like ‘no no no no’ and jumped into the middle of the road and started doing starfishes to get them to stop. four cars stopped and helped me get them out.

God, I’ve never felt so awkward in my life [because] I beeped her and then that happened. I know I kept back from her but when I beeped her… I felt a bit of responsibility but after looking back at the video, no, there’s no responsibility on my part.

Richard Walker

“I think she popped her sat nav out [and] this is what distracted her when she went around that corner. I can’t say for certain but she wasn’t paying attention when she went around that corner.

“God, I’ve never felt so awkward in my life [because] I beeped her and then that happened. I know I kept back from her but when I beeped her…

“I felt a bit of responsibility but after looking back at the video, no, there’s no responsibility on my part.”

Richard, a carer, said he didn’t see how the car landed but it was on its side when he got to it and had fully rolled onto its roof.

He roped in two men to help, with one holding up one side of the car and one holding up the other to keep it steady while Richard jumped on top, lifted the car door up and pulled the four passengers out.

While this was the first time Richard witnessed a crash happen in that spot, he said he sees a car in the ditch on either side of the corner about once a month.

Richard said: “It doesn’t matter which way you come from on that corner, you end up in the ditch quite easily.

“I’d say again just be careful on these roads, guys, even if you’re local. The roads around here are notorious.