German driver nearly impaled
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a A German truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel was almost spiked to death in a crash that left his truck dangling off a bridge.
His artic ploughed into the bridge handrail near Wakefield last week, but the driver walked away unhurt.
The 15ft metal rail missed his head by inches as his truck crashed and started to rock over the bridge edge. "It was a really, really lucky escape," says Peter Bailey, commander of Ossett fire station.
"He hit the railing smack in the middle and a piece of rail went up through the engine and out the other side, just missing his shoulder" His truck was a foot away from falling 20ft on to the A642 where the Ml crosses it.
Mary Williams, executive director of road safety campaign group Brake, says tiredness causes a fifth of serious crashes on monotonous roads. "Drivers should stop about every two hours and vehicle operators need to ensure breaks are regularly scheduled," she says.
Driver safety: preventing tiredness, for fleet managers is available from Brake.
Contact: 01484 559909.
• Barnsley truck driver Brian France, 54, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after six people were killed in an accident on the Al in North Yorkshire last November. One of the dead was Handbridgo truck driver David Cooper France was bailed for the York Crown Court trial.