A YOUNG woman who was rescued from her car after it careered off the road and landed on its roof has thanked the emergency services and pedestrians who came to help.

Lauren Wilcock, 22, was driving her grey Seat Ibiza down Bisley Road, Stroud when the vehicle left the road and landed on its roof on the pavement.

Two crews from Stroud fire station attended the incident at 5pm on Thursday.

Firefighters had to remove the boot to safely remove Lauren, who was taken by ambulance to A&E at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital with concussion, whiplash and bad bruising.

She is now recovering at home and would like to thank everyone who helped.

“I’m incredibly grateful not only to the fire service and ambulance team but also to the members of the public who came to help me as quickly as they could,” said Lauren, who lives in Stroud.

“I’m very lucky to have come out with fairly minimal injuries which is thanks to the emergency services and my seatbelt.”

Describing the moments after the incident, Lauren said: “I was conscious and knew that I was hanging upside down.

“A lady was talking to me asking if I was hurt and just made sure I was okay. She said someone would ring for an ambulance and stayed by my side.

“She rang several family members for me to inform them of what had happened.”

The emergency services then arrived. 

“The fire service turned up and I remember two very nice men either side of the car and another woman who was also lovely,” said Lauren.

“They made sure I stayed still and didn’t move in case of any serious injuries. 

“When I started to panic, the fire brigade team tried to keep me as calm as possible, focussing on my breathing and providing me with an oxygen mask. 

“They even managed to make me laugh a couple of times.

“They guided me through everything step-by-step and someone was right by me reassuring me for the entire time. “
The boot door had to be removed so firefighters could get inside the vehicle.

“They didn’t know if I’d injured my back or my neck so it had to be done as carefully as possible,” added Lauren.

“After some difficulty getting in, they cut my seatbelt and very carefully put me on the stretcher and got me out of the car.” 
Lauren is also very appreciative of the members of the public who helped.  

“I was very upset but everyone was incredibly supportive” she said.
The person who called Lauren’s family was Sian Gardiner, who also collected her possessions. 

“She made sure that my bag, phone and coat were taken out of the car and put in the ambulance with me,” said Lauren.

“She was amazing and if it wasn’t for her, I would’ve lost some really important belongings.”