A woman had a lucky escape after a head-on smash which shut a notorious country lane.
Pam Thornton told how her Nissan Terrano 4x4 was struck by a VW Beetle.
The smash happened at just before 1pm on Sunday in Liley Lane, Upper Hopton, near the junction with Healey Green Lane.
Liley Lane is part of the B6118 and links to Bellstring Lane which proved a notorious accident blackspot last winter.
The latest smash happened just over a week after the winding lane was closed for anti-slip surfacing to be laid on some of the worst stretches.
New accident warning signs have also been installed.
Mrs Thornton, of Mirfield, said: “It was a very frightening experience and I’ve been very lucky. If I hadn’t been in such a big, solid car the outcome would have been very different.”
Mrs Thornton was heading towards Grange Moor with her two dogs in the back when she came around a sweeping bend to be confronted by the Beetle.
“It all happened so suddenly,” she said.
“It all happened in a fraction of a second and I didn’t have time to brake. I just remember being flung around and the car coming to a halt and smoke coming out.”
Mrs Thornton’s right foot was stuck under the pedals and when she pulled herself free she found both front doors jammed. She eventually escaped through the back.
Mrs Thornton, a business support officer for Kirklees Council, suffered a fractured foot, bruising to her lower legs and seatbelt injuries.
She was comforted at the scene by passing driver, Michelle Fitzsimons, a nurse and a man from a neighbouring house and wanted to thank them all.
Emergency services were called and police attended. Mrs Thornton said that after an hour an ambulance had still not arrived and police advised her to go to hospital herself.
Mrs Thornton was taken to Dewsbury District Hospital by her mother and spent six hours receiving treatment before being released.
She understands the other driver, a woman, was also treated in hospital. Mrs Thornton’s dogs were shaken by the impact but seem to be unhurt.
After the smash the Beetle spun around and came to rest facing the wrong way. One of its wheels was sheared off in the collision.
Mrs Thornton’s husband Jim, who was in Castleford at the time of the crash, returned to find his wife wrapped up and sat on a folding chair waiting for the ambulance.
“It was a frightening experience,” he said.
The couple have had the Nissan since 2002 and expect it to be written off. It is understood the police are taking no further action.
