JCB driver killed after digger plunges 50ft down cliff onto busy road

The vehicle was negotiating a steep twisting road in Bristol's Avon Gorge when the driver lost control on a bend in heavy rain and plunged onto the busy commuter route below.

He smashed through a stone barrier wall before plummeting onto the busy A4 carriageway below.

Plummet: The destroyed digger at the bottom of the 50 feet drop

Police said it was 'incredible' no other motorists were injured during the rush-hour disaster

The driver died instantly and police say it is 'incredible' that no other commuters were hurt in the incident at 4.30pm on Wednesday.

Motorist Mark Leverton, who witnessed the JCB digger plunge said he may have been trying to save other lives.

Mark, 36, was travelling along Bridge Valley Road in the opposite direction seconds after the digger crashed through a stone wall and plummeted over the cliff edge.

He said: ' I jumped out of the car, and could smell the burning rubber from his brakes. It was really strong, which made me think his brakes had failed because of the rain.

'He could have jumped off and saved himself, but instead he seemed to have tried to steer it off the road to save other people.

'He may have thought the wall would stop him going over, but he crashed through it, taking a massive chunk of it with him.

'There was a huge skid in the road, and the curb and the grass were ripped out. It must have crashed with incredible momentum.

Black spot: The 50 foot clifftop drop at a bend in Bridge Valley Road in Bristol

'Everyone immediately glanced over, and saw the digger smashed on the road below. It was a horrendous sight, it's incredible no-one else was injured.'

Tragedy struck on a bend in Bridge Valley Road, which connects the upper reaches of the Clifton suburb to the Portway, which runs alongside the River Avon.

It is believed the driver came round a bend at the bottom of the 30mph hill and swerved to avoid the stationary queue of traffic waiting to join the Portway.

One witness said: 'The truck was coming down the hill and just missed the cars. It skidded and went over the edge. There was a big bang like a clap of thunder.'

Witness Dan Gardner said: 'We were the first car to be diverted away from Bridge Valley Road and we saw a massive hole in the wall.

'I was very worried that whatever had driven off had landed on another car.' 

The crumpled yellow digger could be seen lying upside down on the concrete for several hours.

Traffic gridlock ensued as two of the city's busiest commuter roads were closed for six hours.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said: 'The digger was travelling along Bridge Valley Road when it fell 50 feet onto the road below.

'It was incredibly fortunate that no other vehicles were involved and no one else was injured.' 

It was not clear yesterday which company the digger belonged to, or where the driver was heading.