Crash leaves injured driver trapped in car surrounded by live cables

A driver had a lucky escape after he was left trapped and seriously injured in his car, surrounded by live power cables.

The incident occurred at around 4am, close to the Garda station on Main St, Patrickswell, Co Limerick. A Toyota Avensis car struck a parked Fiat Punto, which was shunted forward into an ESB pole. The pole crashed to the ground, leaving cables dangling. The driver, in his 20s, was trapped in the car with live wires dangling overhead. It’s understood there was no one in the parked car.

While the Toyota didn’t hit the pole, the car spun around, striking another pole and a wall.

Ambulance and fire personnel had to wait until ESB staff had disconnected the power and made the scene safe before they could free the victim. Fire crews used cutting equipment to release the driver, who is understood to have sustained multiple injuries, including two broken legs.

The injured man, believed to be from the village, was taken to the Mid Western Regional Hospital.

His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

An emergency worker said: “If the driver hadn’t been trapped he may have tried to escape from the car and if he had, he would probably have been electrocuted.”