15/11/05, updated 21/11/05: 69-year-old Bernice Dent was rescued by Morecambe's RNLI hovercraft after her car crashed off Skerton Bridge and into the Lune this afternoon.
A major incident was declared after the car, a Citroen Saxo, was hit from behind by a lorry and was went off the Bridge, smashing through the eighteenth century parapet.
Local taxi drive Charlie Moore was one of several people who called emergency services to report the accident. He told the Lancaster Guardian "the car seemed to bounce against the kerb, hit the lorry again and then go straight over. What's remarkable is that the lorry driver didn't even realise what had happened. I had to jump out and flag him down."
The car landed in the river and began to be washed down stream, prompting concern it might damage Lancaster's Millennium bridge supports if it was pushed that far by the curent. In fact it came to rest some 30 meteres from the bridge.
The local air ambulance, fire brigade, ambulances and police were all in attendance at the incident and Skerton Bridge was sealed off to pedestrians until Bernice was rescued about 45 minutes after the accident by the hovercraft crew, to cheers from watching crowds on both sides of the river.
69-year-old Bernice Dent, from Barrow-in-Furness, was taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary but incredibly, was not seriously hurt despite the fall from the Bridge and released from hospital later in the day.
"i got into the back and started to rsecue my shopping," the Lancaster Guardian later reported. "I've got a walking stick which is a family heirloom and I didn't want to lose that."