A WASHFORD man had a miraculous escape after he was buried alive under five tonnes of stone in a freak accident.

Mark Willis was on his way to see family when a trailer loaded with more than ten tonnes of aggregate smashed into the front of his car.

The force of the impact pushed his Peugeot 307 back into a wall, while the aggregate crashed out of the trailer, enveloping both him and the car.

He could do nothing but await his fate as the stone and rock poured in through the passenger and driver's windows of the car, pinning him in his seat.

But he is convinced Lady Luck was on his side that day as the windscreen held firm, shielding him from the full force of the tumbling stones.

He eventually escaped with minor injuries - a broken rib, injured ankle and a bad cut to his hand - after firefighters dug him out of the pile of stones using shovels.

Speaking to the Free Press Mr Willis, who is in his 40s, said: "I'm a very lucky man. Someone, somewhere was certainly looking out for me.

"It was extremely scary and everything happened so fast.

"I saw the trailer coming towards me. I tried to go backwards but I couldn't get out of the way in time.

"The next minute the trailer hit me and I slammed into a wall.

"The windscreen held out but the stone came in the sides and pinned me down.

"Everything was covered in stone and I'm extremely thankful the car didn't burst into flames."

Mr Willis was heading to Luxborough to see his brother-in-law after finishing work as a teacher at Kingsmead Community School in Wiveliscombe last Thursday afternoon.

He was driving along a country lane out of Wiveliscombe towards Clatworthy and had been following a tractor towing a trailer of aggregate for about a mile.

However, as the tractor started to pull the load up a hill, the trailer detached and collided with Mr Willis' car.

He was trapped for more than two hours as firefighters from Wiveliscombe, Wellington and Taunton used shovels to dig their way through the aggregate.

They then used hydraulic cutting gear to free Mr Willis from the car.

"Once they chopped the roof off I could see how close the tailgate of the trailer was - it was only about a foot from my head.

"I am extremely lucky to still be here," Mr Willis said.

He was airlifted to hospital as a precaution but was able to return home to his wife and nine-year-old son later the same day.

A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said emergency services had been called out at 3.45pm to reports of a man trapped in a car.

"A fire engine from Wiveliscombe and Wellington were sent to incident along with a rescue tender from Taunton.

"On arrival the crew confirmed there was a 15 tonne trailer of aggregate that had rolled backwards on top of a car, pinning it against a wall with a man trapped inside.

"Crews worked to make the trailer safe and removed hardcore from the trailer using shovels to gain access to the casualty.

"They removed tons of hardcore before removing the man using hydraulic cutting gear," a service spokesman said.

Mr Willis is currently off-work and recuperating at home: "I'd have walked home after the accident if I'd have been able to get out of the car," he said.

Pictured is Mark Willis' Peugeot 307 that was crushed under five tonnes of stone.