Firefighters had to cut the roof off a brand new £50,000 car after the driver was injured in a smash at a notorious crossroads.
And the 4x4 Range Rover had just 400 miles on the clock.
Emergency services were called to the collision between the Range Rover Sport and a Peugeot 107 at the infamous Sovereign Crossroads near Shepley during yesterday morning’s peak period.
But with the female driver of the Range Rover complaining of back and neck pain, firefighters from Skelmanthorpe and Huddersfield were forced to cut the roof off the luxury vehicle, despite it having just a smashed headlight.
Skelmanthorpe Fire Station crew commander Elliott Webster said the victim had been reluctant to have her 63 plate car chopped up following the smash at the junction of the A629 Penistone Road and A635 Barnsley Road at 8am.
But he said it was necessary to guarantee her injuries weren’t made worse when removing her from the vehicle.
And he said cutting the roof off such a robust car presented them with a number of extra problems.
“With a car like this there’s a number of extra difficulties regarding the airbags and the electrics,” he said.
“We couldn’t get the electrics on to move her electric seat back.
“And we have to be aware of airbags potentially going off.
“It’s also difficult because of how strong Range Rovers are and how heavy the roof is.
“We also had to remove some doors as we’ve got to make sure we can clear the casualty from the car safely.”
Police closed the road, the main route between Sheffield and Huddersfield, for a short time to allow firefighters to work safely.
The accident blackspot has been the scene of countless minor and several serious crashes over the last few years.
Residents in nearby villages have long campaigned for improved safety at the busy junction which also links Holmfirth with Denby Dale.
In 2009 Kirklees councillors ordered Highways to investigate if anything could be done to boost safety at the crossroads which are further complicated by a garage on the corner and a second junction across the busy A629 from Cross Lane to Carr Lane.
But a £21,000 study concluded the best option was to do nothing.
At the time, Highways officials said the junction was not a priority as it was only the 50th worst in all Kirklees and they said traffic lights would lead to long jams in the area.
Although a major redesign was ruled out, a series of minor signs and lines improvements were given the green light in a bid to quell residents’ and councillors’ anger.
A series of flashing ‘slow down’ junction warning signs were also installed on the main approach from Birdsedge and at the side roads.
The £30,000 scheme also saw warning signs improved and the installation of a new crash barrier and high friction road surfacing.
