A Yorkshire woman has escaped near death thanks to the quick reaction of her six-year-old crossbreed Boxer-Staffy.
Kimberley Bridges was walking her dog, Orla, down a residential street in Castleford, West Yorkshire, UK, when a large 4x4 hurtled towards her, mounting the curb to the sidewalk and almost killing the 35-year-old.
According to Yapp-App, Kimberley froze as she removed one of her eye-buds when she heard a bang. A Toyota Hilux had crashed into a passing woman's car, spinning her round in the process, and was driving straight towards her at 70mph.
”I just froze in fear. All I could see was this huge truck hurtling towards me. I thought there is no way I will survive this," Kimberley told Yapp-App.
“He was driving like a maniac. I thought ‘This is going to hurt’."
Luckily, her beloved pet was quick to react and bolted, pulling on the lead that was wrapped around Kimberley's wrist and dragging her quickly out of the van's path and to safety – it was such a close encounter that the wing mirror brushing her backside.
Watch the moment Orla saved Kimberley from the on-coming vehicle below.
”I would not have moved that quickly if it wasn’t for Orla. She saved me. I was dragged out of the way of the car. I put my hands on my knees and took a few breaths and gave Orla a stroke to make sure she was okay." Kimberley explained.
“I looked down the road to see where the car had gone and heard a lady shouting ‘It’s gone. He has driven off’. I did not see who was driving. It was all too quick."
"The car went past in a blur and just vanished. The next thing I heard was a woman screaming as I tried to catch my breath."
Luckily nobody was hurt in the ordeal, but it was a close call for Kimberley – and she's just thankful it occurred before the school run.
"If it had happened half and hour later the pavement would have been packed with kids going to school.
"He was doing at least 70mph in a 30 limit. Then I heard as he drove away he nearly ran over a mother with a pram."
The car was later found "smashed up" and abandoned in the nearby town of Pontefract, and investigations are on-going.
Kimberley says she won't be walking down that road with her earphones in again, and owes Orla her life.
