Van driver '˜lucky' to escape with broken shoulder after crashing into telegraph pole near Bishop's Tachbrook

The collision happened beside the recycling plant in Harbury Lane, and left the vehicle and the pole badly damaged.

The driver was trapped for around an hour due to the damage to his van making it difficult for paramedics to get to him.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews were told that the white panel van was heading towards Warwick when it left the road and collided with a telegraph pole.

“The van was very badly damaged on the driver’s side which made access for ambulance staff extremely difficult initially. They treated the man while firefighters cut away the bulkhead and other parts of the vehicle to allow the man to be removed on a spinal board. In total it took about an hour to get him out, such was the level of damage.

“Surprisingly, the 57 year old man only appeared to have broken his shoulder. After further treatment at the scene, the man was taken to the major trauma centre at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire by land ambulance.

“Ambulance staff said that he was a very lucky man to have suffered such relatively minor injuries given the level of damage to the vehicle. They also praised the firefighters for the excellent job they did providing access to the patient.”