Published: Friday, 9th January, 2009 12:30pm

Woman hurt in crash drama

by Russell Steele

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A WOMAN driver had to be cut free after her car ploughed into a tree during rush hour.

Firefighters spent 90 minutes and used three sets of cutting tools to rescue her from the car.

The woman, who is understood to be in her 50s, had been driving her Saab vehicle along Gourock"s Shore Street towards Greenock at 5.30pm last night.

Her car left the road opposite the Victoria bar, hit the tree and stopped six inches from buildings.

Rescue crews were forced to cut off the roof and back door of the vehicle to get the woman out. She was rushed to Inverclyde Royal Hospital.

Gourock fire watch commander Gerry Clarke, who attended the incident, said: 'The woman was very distressed and appeared to be in a lot of pain.

'She was given morphine by paramedics and taken to hospital with suspected internal injuries.

'If the tree she hit hadn"t given way, and if she had been driving an inferior car, she would have died.

'The airbags on the door helped to save her life.'

Group commander Richard Duncan told the Tele: 'The lady was very lucky the tree gave way and changed the direction of her car, or the accident could have been much more serious.'

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