Royal Navy veteran recalls dramatic moment he rescued woman from flipped car in McDonald's and Lidl car park in Waterlooville

The driver, thought to be in her 20s, suffered only minor injuries when her Toyota Yaris flipped onto its roof near Lidl and McDonald’s in Elettra Avenue, Waterlooville, just before 11am.

Police were called to a crash involving two cars and have now confirmed a passenger in a gold Vauxhall also suffered minor injuries.

Eyewitness and Royal Navy veteran, James Castley, was the first to leap to the Toyota's owner aid after it became clear she was trapped.

The 58-year-old said the woman inside the car looked to have been in her 20s.

Giving The News a rundown of the aftermath of the crash, he said: 'I was getting out of my van when I heard a loud bang and saw the car coming through the fence and towards me.

‘It clipped one of the cars in the car park and flipped on to its side.

‘I ran across and the first thing I asked was whether there were any kids in the car. She said no.

'I told her to switch the engine off because of the risk of fire and I then managed to drag her out from the vehicle.

‘The laces on her shoe were still trapped and so I ran to my van and got some scissors to cut her free.

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‘Once I got her free I helped her to stand up. She was in shock but didn't seem seriously injured.

‘She was fortunate that the car flipped into a parking space and not onto another car.’

Paramedics and firefighters were also called to the scene, where a wooden fence was broken and parts of the Toyota had fallen off.

The vehicle appeared to slot between two parked cars outside Lidl when it crashed.

Mr Castley said the woman was taken to hospital after being assessed at the scene.