A SUSPECTED car thief had a lucky escape yesterday when, after crashing into another car on a notoriously dangerous railway bridge in Cork city, he jumped over the parapet of the bridge only to land in front of an oncoming train, which managed to stop.
The drama began at about 5.30pm when a woman went into a chip shop on Mac Curtain Street, leaving the keys in the ignition of her Audi. A man aged about 40 jumped into the car and sped off in the direction of Glanmire.
The incident was spotted by gardaí on patrol who were following the man when he failed to negotiate the Skew Bridge at Tivoli and crashed into an oncoming Honda Civic containing a couple travelling into the city .
The driver fled the scene on foot and jumped over the parapet of the bridge only to find himself facing an oncoming commuter train. The driver spotted the man and was able to stop in time.
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