Motorway PC stops van from falling off bridge

  • Published
Scene of crashImage source, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
Image caption,

PC Willis said he held onto the van to stop it toppling over a bridge

A police officer held on to a van to stop it falling as it teetered on the edge of a motorway bridge.

The driver was trapped inside when PC Martin Willis arrived at the scene on the A1(M) in Yorkshire.

Writing on Twitter, he said he grabbed on to the vehicle to stop it "swaying in the wind".

PC Willis, known as Motorway Martin to his followers, said he couldn't "begin to describe [his] relief" when firefighters arrived.

Image source, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
Image caption,

A view from below the bridge shows the van's precarious position

'Where's your cape?'

The van ended up in the precarious position when it came off the road near the border between North and West Yorkshire.

Posting on Twitter, external, PC Willis described how he tried to stabilise the vehicle with the driver still trapped inside.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Motorway Martin

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Motorway Martin

PC Willis was praised by colleagues for his swift action.

"Your superman cape isn't in this photo though! Must have come off in the fracas!," PC Adam Pace‏ tweeted.

Image source, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
Image caption,

PC Willis he said he was relieved to see West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue arrive at the scene

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.