Dopey driver plunges Smart car down 35ft lift shaft – after mistaking it for a parking spot
A DRIVER has had a lucky escape after she plunged her smart car down a 35ft lift shaft thinking it was a parking space.
The woman, 38, was looking for a space in an underground car park in Stuttgart, Germany when she rammed the closed lift door and plunged down the shaft.
Miraculously she managed to free herself from the upturned vehicle and call local firefighters for help.
Specialists were called in to bring the car up to the surface and rescue the driver.
Two firefighters abseiled down the shaft and strapped the stricken motorist to a stretcher.
She was given first aid and then pulled to safety by the team.
Most read in Motors
After the rescue she told Bild: “I have no idea how that could have happened.
“Physically, I’m fine again.”
Firemen then blocked up the lift door with wood and the lift itself was taken out of service.
Daniel Anand, Press and PR Officer for Stuttgart Fire Department, said: “After being rescued from the elevator shaft, the person was handed over to the rescue service and taken to a hospital for further treatment.”
Read More on The Sun
This comes after a woman died and three were injured when a Range Rover fell onto train tracks in London after a collision with another vehicle in August.
One eyewitness said: “I heard this huge bash at about half past three. I thought it was somebody breaking into one of the garages.
Most read in The Sun
“The car must have smashed the fence, because behind that is the pedestrian walkway and it’s come right over that.
“Ten minutes after there were helicopters, it was like the Third World War.”