Woman And Dog Pulled From Car After It Crashes Through Barrier and Plunges Into River

A WOMAN had a miraculous escape after she was pulled from a river by passers by after her car crashed through a bridge barrier and nosedived into the 16ft Bank Drain near Chatteris. It was frightening, I did not know what was going on or what was happeni

A WOMAN had a miraculous escape after she was pulled from a river by passers by after her car crashed through a bridge barrier and nosedived into the 16ft Bank Drain near Chatteris.

"It was frightening, I did not know what was going on or what was happening," said Alma Wyman shortly after she had been pulled to safety.

"The water was cold but luckily for me the electric windows opened and I was able to get out."

Ms Wyman, from Manea, lost control of her Kia Forento at the junction near Byall Fen Drove and the vehicle went front first into the water at around 9am today. She was on her way to visit her daughter in Bishops Stortford.

Her pet Yorkshire terrier, Tilly, was also trapped in the car but she, too, jumped free and swam to the river bank.

A shaken Ms Wyman, said she believed her car had skidded on some mud on the road.

Three passers by helped her out of the by using a stick to pull her and her dog to safety.

"I can't thank them enough," Ms Wyman said of her rescuers. "Without them I don't know what would have happened. Thankfully these three people stopped and helped."

Emergency services are still at the scene but the woman, who runs Manea Agility Dog Club, is unharmed. She said she was fine but very cold.

The car is almost completely submerged in the water and Ms Wyman is waiting to see if emergency services can recover her handbag.

In the past six years there have been 30 accidents involving people entering Fenland drains following an accident - a third of them fatal.

Further details will be published on this website later.