UK motor insurance news
10/04/2007

Female driver destroys Mercedes and low cost woman car insurance in seconds

A female driver wrecked her £96,000 Mercedes and her chance of a cheap woman car insurance premium following one simple error: trusting her sat nav.

The incident occurred near the small village of Sheepy Magna, in Leicestershire, when the lady was driving her Mercedes SLK to a christening.

Unfortunately, her sat nav system directed her down a little-used track and, although it was signposted as not being suitable for cars, she turned down it.

When she came across a ford, she tried to cross it, failing to take account of recent heavy rains. The Mercedes was quickly swept away and travelled more than 500 yards before becoming grounded.

Fortunately, a brave local woman came upon the scene and managed to rescue the panicking driver from the car while it was stuck.

She explained: "[The driver] was screaming "help me, help me" as she struggled to get the door open.

"I waded in to the chest-deep water using a log as a buoyancy aid.

"Just as I reached her the electrics went, causing the windows to open and even more water started gushing in.

"Had I not held on to some barbed wire attached to the bank and the log, I would have been swept away."

She was then able to pull the female driver free of the car, just seconds before water poured in, completely submerging the expensive vehicle.

The precarious position of the car hindered its recovery and it is reported that the car remained in situ for a week after the incident. The damage done to the car is thought to be substantial, amounting to a motor insurance write off.

Lee-Anne Bass, spokesperson for woman car insurance company CoverGirl Car Insurance Services, commented: "This dramatic rescue sounds like something out of a film.

"It seems safe to say that the Mercedes driver will think twice about following her sat nav in future."