Car shunted sideways along motorway at 60mph

The driver of a car that became trapped under the bumper of a tanker and was shunted sideways along the motorway at 60mph said she expected to die.

Rona Williams, 31, was clipped by the tanker on the M1 near Leeds and her Renault Clio somehow became attached to the front of the lorry at 90 degrees. The lorry driver could not see the hatchback and continued driving.

The woman said she called emergency services for help as she was dragged along helplessly. "I wasn't on hands-free, but I figured I wasn't really driving the car," she said.

After almost a minute the lorry driver realised what had happened and pulled over. The lorry company and West Yorkshire police are investigating, and Williams says she is just relieved her "tough little car" survived. ·