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A Lucky Escape

ONLY a tree prevented a car and two Stranraer people from plunging  200 feet down a steep slope into Lochryan on Sunday night.

The car left the A77 road about two miles north of Cairnryan, falling 100 feet before crashing against the tree, with the waters of the  loch a further 100 feet below.

Both the driver and his girlfriend escaped without serious injury. A passing lorry driver saw the northbound black Vauxhall Astra spin  to the left off the road and disappear  down a slope and raised the  alarm by mobile phone.

Emergency services including two fire engines from Stranraer and an  incident support unit from Newton Stewart were sent to the scene.

Police, alerted to the incident by the ambulance service, located the car resting precariously against the tree and were able to release the 22 year old woman passenger and help her up the steep slope back to the roadway while firefighters roped the car to the tree and set up portable lighting units.

Paramedics assisted by firefighters released the 21 year driver and  strapped him to a spinal board rescue stretcher. Ladders and rope rescue equipment were set up to lift him up the embankment to the road.

Both the driver and his passenger were taken by ambulance to the Garrick Hospital in Stranraer. The driver was cut to his forehead and sustained an injury to his left shoulder. His girlfriend was treated for whiplash injuries to her back and shoulder.