FIREFIGHTERS spent hours rescuing a woman trapped inside her car after it crashed into a brick garage on a residential road.
Two fire crews from Colchester and an urban search and rescue team were called to Mountbatten Drive, in Colchester, at about 4.20pm on Monday.
On arrival firefighters reported a silver car had collided with a garage and a woman was trapped inside her vehicle.
Essex Fire and Rescue Service’s urban search and rescue team was then called to help make the structure of the garage safe so firefighters could rescue the woman.
A witness, who asked not to be named, said the driver was trapped inside the car for about two hours waiting for the fire crews to secure the garage from falling on top of the car.
“A passenger was able to get out of the passenger door, and the driver was later released uninjured from the vehicle,” he added.
The casualty was rescued by 6.10pm an Essex Fire and Rescue Service spokesman confirmed.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We were stood down and told we were not needed before we arrived on scene."
A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said they did not see how the incident happened, but they saw the emergency services at the scene afterwards.
She added: “The car must have hit the garage wall with some force to partly demolish it.”
The garage, and pavement surrounding it, remained cordoned off by the fire service the following morning for the public’s safety.
The building is yet to be repaired - the garage door is bent in and off its hinges, and the damaged bricks have been piled beside the structure.
Essex Police have been contacted for comment.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here