Tollerton: Lorry 'almost squished car' after hitting low bridge

A lorry came close to "squishing" a car when it hit a low bridge in Nottinghamshire and toppled over, a witness has said.

People living near the railway bridge in Melton Road, Tollerton, have said it is frequently hit by lorries despite signs warning about the height.

Emergency services were called to the latest collision at 09:53 GMT.

The driver of the lorry was taken to hospital by ambulance, but his injuries are not thought to be serious.

A Tollerton resident who was driving in the opposite direction told the BBC the lorry had "hit the bridge and rolled over".

"When he rolled he was very close to squishing another car," she said.

"I was just in shock. The poor driver really was in shock. He had got a cut to the head and was in clear shock."

She said fuel from the lorry had spilled out onto the road.

"If the fuel had gone up it would have been a whole different story," she said.

She believes more needs to be done to prevent lorries hitting the bridge.

"It happens all the time," she said.

"We can't see the bridge from our house but we can hear the lorries hit the bridge and we get the consequences of the traffic in the village."

Network Rail has said that collisions like this - known as bridge strikes - can cause death or serious injury to road and rail users, and have a serious impact on the operation of trains and road traffic.

Between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022, there were 1,833 bridge strikes reported across the rail network.

The latest Tollerton bridge strike was reported to Network Rail by Nottinghamshire Police just after 10:15 GMT.

A spokeswoman said: "The rail bridge here actually carries part of our test track, so it has not caused any disruption to passenger services.

"Our teams are carrying out an inspection of the bridge."

A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said they were called to the scene at 09:53 GMT "following reports of a road traffic collision".

A spokesman said: "We are supporting our colleagues from East Midlands Ambulance Service, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and Network Rail."

East Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed that a 35-year-old man was taken to hospital by ambulance.

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