A head-on collision caused by a driver rushing to work was captured on a Smart Witness dashcam.

The rushing driver had to be airlifted to hospital after driving straight into the path of retired engineer Colin Kay's car.

Both vehicles were written off after the 50mph smash on the A586 Great Eccleston bypass at St Michael's on Wyre in Lancashire.

Miraculously, the driver was not badly hurt despite being cut out of her Toyota Aygo and taken to Preston Royal Infirmary by helicopter.

Footage captured on a SmartWitness dash cam helped to correctly attribute blame and settle the insurance claim quickly.

Kay, 72, was unhurt and his wife, who was travelling with him in their Citroen Picasso, suffered a whiplash injury to her shoulder.

He said: "It is a miracle that no one was more seriously hurt given that it was a serious head-on smash at 50 miles an hour.

"I had very little time to brake because she turned right in front of me due to a lapse in concentration.

"I feared the worst afterwards because she was trapped in her vehicle but thankfully she was not badly hurt, and was cut out by the Lancashire Fire and Rescue. 

"My wife and I were protected by airbags and were okay, too. All the emergency services were brilliant at the scene."

The accident happened in August last year and Kay released the footage after learning the other driver had escaped prosecution. 

He said: "She was rushing to work in the morning when the accident happened. I contacted the police because I was keen to see a full prosecution
to stop more careless driving.

"But nothing has been done because the investigating officer went off sick and they could not prepare the paperwork in time. The only way our roads are going to become safer is when motorists driving carelessly like this are punished.

"My wife and I were very lucky that we were not more seriously hurt and we have very disappointed that no police action has been taken in
this case."

He said: "I've had a clean licence for 50 years but I had seen how more drivers were using dash cams and wanted a model that provided complete protection with court admissible evidence, which is why I chose SmartWitness.

"It turned out to the be the best money I had ever spent.

"Initially after the accident, the driver refused to accept liability and said it was a simple accident despite two witnesses saying she was to blame. "Obviously at that point she was unaware that the whole thing had been captured on camera.

"Once I presented my footage, her insurers settled immediately and I was able to get a brand new Picasso without any increase in my premiums."

SmartWitness sales director Mark Berry said: "This accident perfectly shows the value of our cameras. You have a collision where one driver is very clearly at fault but initially is disputing liability.

"I very much doubt that her insurers would have settled so readily if they had not been presented with the SmartWitness footage.

"The camera never lies and we were able to show conclusively who was to blame."

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: “Officers attended the scene and carried out a thorough investigation. An accident report was submitted with a recommendation for the driver to attend a Drivers' Alertness Course. Unfortunately the officer in the case was off sick and the report was not processed within the allocated time frame for prosecution.”  
 

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