10-tonne steamroller hurtles out of control

Last updated at 16:29 17 August 2006


A ten-tonne vintage steamroller hurtled into a bank and flipped over after it ran out of control down a steep hill.

It is thought the driver of the vehicle deliberately steered into a grassy bank to stop the steamroller.

The crash happened at around 3pm on an unclassified road at Mingoose, near the village of St Agnes, Cornwall.

Engine owner Frank Thomas was in the cab with the driver when the accident happened but escaped without injury, the driver suffered slight injuries.

The steamroller ran out of control on a one in five gradient hill on the unclassified road where it reached speeds of 30mph - its usual maximum being 10mph.

Eyewitness Sue Grace dashed out of her cottage near the scene when she heard a one of the men repeatedly sounding the horn on the vehicle.

"It was going very fast and shot out of view. Seconds later I heard the most terrific bang. I ran down the lane to find the vehicle in bits on the road with great clouds of steam everywhere.

A doctor who lives nearby dashed down to make sure no-one was seriously injured while I rang for the emergency services.

"I spoke briefly to Frank after the accident and I understand that the steamroller was driven into the bank to stop it. Had it travelled any further down the lane it does not bear thinking about what might have happened."

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: "It's lucky no one was killed. An investigation has been launched into what went wrong."

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