A suspected drink driver nearly killed a pedestrian after they lost control of their car and flipped it onto its roof, where it crashed across a pavement before coming to a halt in the road.
The terrifying scene was captured on CCTV on Sunday morning in Nelson, Lancashire.
Footage shows the pedestrian jumping out of the way as the car – with two women inside – flips over and hurtles past them.
A suspected drink driver in Nelson, Lancashire, nearly killed a pedestrian after they lost control of their car and flipped it onto its roof, where it crashed across a pavement before coming to a halt in the road
Mother-of-three and business owner Najma Kalsoom, 43, and her daughter were driving on the opposite side of the road when they spotted the vehicle whizz past.
Ms Kalsoom then saw the car topple over and immediately pulled over and ran towards the mangled wreckage of the vehicle.
She and other witnesses then helped to free the two women inside the car, with one man using a saw to cut one of the seatbelts, the mother claimed.
Footage shows a crowd of people quickly gathering around the wreckage before they help to pull the women out.
Debris is strewn across the road and the glass window of a shop front has been smashed by the force of the car hurtling down the pavement.
The pedestrian jumped out of the way just in time as the car skittered down the pavement before stopping in the road
The driver, who had a head injury, tried to escape the scene but was later arrested after a member of the public caught up with her.
Ms Kalsoom said: ‘It was really terrifying. I was so scared that the driver was dead. It’s a miracle those girls made it out.
‘It’s a 30mph road and I would say there is no chance she was going less than 70mph. They were lucky the road was quiet.
‘There was a pedestrian there. I can’t believe how it happened – God was watching over them.
Mother-of-three and business owner Najma Kalsoom, 43, and her daughter were driving on the opposite side of the road when they spotted the vehicle whizz past. Ms Kalsoom was among those who helped to free the women from the car
‘If it had been a split-second earlier, it could have been fatal. I’d say it was a metre away from hitting her.
‘The pedestrian wouldn’t have survived that crash and the girls only survived because they had their seat belts on.’
The shocked mother added that she had the driver’s blood on her hands, but claimed the two women in the car were ‘threatening’ and walked off.
‘I thought of that as a traumatic experience. I didn’t think bad of it because everyone reacts differently,’ Ms Kalsoom said.
Debris from the car is seen strewn across the road. Ms Kalsoom said: ‘It was really terrifying. I was so scared that the driver was dead. It’s a miracle those girls made it out’
‘It’s a 30mph road and I would say there is no chance she was going less than 70mph. They were lucky the road was quiet,’ she added
‘Speed does kill. It’s the innocent people that get it. That pedestrian would have died if it was a couple of seconds earlier.’
Speaking of the moment the speeding car shot past her, Ms Kalsoom said her own vehicle ‘moved’.
‘I had my daughter in my car and when I looked in my rear view mirror, I saw the car topple over,’ she said.
‘I quickly threw my phone to my daughter and said “ring the ambulance, ring the police. I need to go and help her”.
‘You do what you have to do. I asked her “are you okay? Can you move?”
‘I just pulled her out and asked her “is there anyone else?”
‘There was something slumped at the back – it just looked like a corpse.
Ms Kalsoom said the driver was ‘threatening’ after she was helped from the wreckage
‘The other lads [who witnessed the crash] had to get a saw and cut the other passenger’s seat belt.’
‘When the other passenger came out, the girl [driver] started shouting and saying “pull yourself together. What are you crying for?”
‘I took it as being the impact of the trauma. I just thought she was in shock.
‘It was scary, but I think my adrenaline must have kicked in and I did what I have to do.
‘I don’t know how anyone came out of that with minor injuries.
A nearby shop window was cracked by the force of the car glancing it as it hurtled down the pavement
‘I’m alright now because it’s a good outcome, but it could have been a different story.’
After Ms Kalsoom’s daughter called the emergency services, the police and ambulance were on the scene within minutes.
Lancashire Police have now confirmed a female was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent (TWOC).
A spokesperson for Lancashire Police said: ‘We were called to an incident just before 10.30am on Sunday, March 8, following reports of a collision between two cars on Manchester Road [Nelson].
‘We arrested a 28-year-old women on suspicion of aggravated TWOC and drink driving.’