Morning:
20°c
Johnny Depp has become, in his young middle age, like a star of the movies’ golden period
Secret deal hatched by News of the World to hush up details of phone-tapping was sealed in a tiny room at the Royal Courts of Justice
More...
Motorist plunges over 220ft cliff and survives - and so does his dog
Last updated at 00:58am on 16.06.08
A motorist and his sheepdog had a brush with death when their car careered over a 220ft cliff.
The driver was thrown clear of his Vauxhall Frontera 4x4 as it somersaulted down the cliff and smashed into pieces this morning.
The 42-year-old man ended up buried in undergrowth with both his legs broken. Unable to move, he cried out for help.
MAngled: The wreckage of the Vauxhall Frontera
Luckily, his shouts were heard by the crew of a yacht moored in a bay at Chapman's Pool, near Swanage, Dorset.
Coastguard rescue teams located him by helicopter and winched him to safety.
He is having surgery on his legs and being treated for severe cuts to his face.
The sheepdog was also thrown clear. Astonishingly, it was uninjured and was able to walk up the cliff to a farm where it was found cowering under a table in shock.
A coastguard spokesman said it was a riddle how the motorist drove off the cliff, adding: 'The car went across two fields and a fence to reach the edge.'
Police were not treating the incident as suspicious.
Cliff drama: The scene at Chapman's Pool, where driver and dog were thrown clear of the vehicle (circled)
Reader views (2)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Was the dog driving? This may account for how the car went through those fields and over the cliff. Dogs are notoriously bad drivers.
- Sam Deakins, Richmond USA
I notice that the dog didn't stick around after this roller coaster ride.
Do you suppose that's the last time his dog wants to go for a drive with the master?
- Yahn Goodey, Oromocto, Canada
