Motorists on the M4 were met with an unusual sight as firefighters winched up an injured woman from a ditch on Sunday (22 February).
Emergency services were called to a single-vehicle road traffic collision on the motorway between junctions 16 and 17 westbound at around 3.20pm.
A BMW 4 Series left the carriageway and careered down a steep embankment, coming to rest in the undergrowth at the boundary of a field full of sheep.
Two people, a man and a woman, were left trapped in the car. Police closed lane one as 999 crews collectively worked to bring the casualties to safety.
After being freed from the vehicle, the woman – who sustained serious injuries – was placed into a basket stretcher and winched up from the ditch by an aerial ladder platform appliance.
Many motorists slowed down to watch as the patient was lifted into the air, with roads policing officers shouting “keep moving” and frantically waving their hands.
The man, who suffered only minor injuries, was able to climb the embankment after being assisted out of the BMW. Both casualties were taken to hospital for treatment.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: “We responded to a single-vehicle road traffic collision in which a car left the M4 between junction 16 and 17.
“One person, who was travelling in the car, was taken to hospital to be treated for serious injuries. There were no arrests.”
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that two double-crewed ambulances attended, with two people taken to the Great Western Hospital.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Two pumping appliances were mobilised, from Westlea and Swindon and on arrival found one car had left the road and gone into a ditch.
“Two people were trapped in the vehicle and crews requested the [Aerial Ladder Platform] from Swindon to access the vehicle due to the depth of the ditch.
“Small tools were used to release casualty and our stop was in at 4:53pm.”
The incident caused delays on the M4 westbound for around three hours – with traffic slow past the scene. By around 6pm, emergency services had left the area.
