PUTTING the kettle on for a cup of tea probably saved the life of engineer Matthew Moggridge, of East Quantoxhead. The 34-year-old had been working in the concrete shed of his home which borders the A39 literally minutes before an articulated lorry overturned and completely crushed the building. The accident and Matthew's miraculous escape happened at about 2.30pm on Saturday as the lorry, which was carrying massive rolls of paper each weighing between five and six tons, was travelling towards Bridgwater. Matthew's brother Anthony arrived on the scene shortly after the potentially horrific incident. "As I drove along I could see the vehicle on its side and I wondered what I was going to find," said Anthony, who took this picture of the scene. "Matthew had been in the shed but luckily a friend had turned up and they had just gone into the house to make a cup of tea. "The lorry clipped Matthew's house and the semi- detached one next door before tipping over. "As well as the shed, it took out a whole length of fencing, part of the hedge and damaged a telegraph pole." Matthew, who works for a bagpipe manufacturer in Minehead, only recently moved into the house and lives there with his girlfriend and her two children. His 18-year-old stepson was in the garden hanging out washing at the time of the accident. "Matthew was a bit shaken up by it all but he was OK. He was certainly very lucky," said Anthony. The lorry driver was airlifted to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton with leg injuries but was not seriously injured. A police spokesman said the fire brigade and road ambulance were also called out to the scene. Difficulties in removing the lorry and its cargo, which was shed across the area, meant the road was closed to traffic until shortly before 6am the following morning.
