A CAR crash victim - who was trapped unconscious in his overturned car for almost nine hours overnight - was found in a ditch near Weobley after an unorthodox rescue mission.

The 36-year-old was taken to Hereford County Hospital in a stable condition, with only minor injuries, despite rolling his car on his way home from work on Friday night.

Having been knocked out during the accident, he regained consciousness early on Saturday morning and made a 999 call, still trapped in the silver hatchback – which had came to a stop dangerously close to a nearby stream.

This launched an extensive search mission in North Herefordshire with all three emergency services scouring the roadsides around Weobley.

Having rolled into a ditch off the A4112, the car was hidden from view, and the injured man was located by identifying different sirens to the telephone operator at Fire Control HQ.

Fire engines set off different sirens in different areas, and by process of elimination, the man was able to help the emergency services narrow the search down.

After an hour the car was located, and the fire service began the difficult process of extricating the man from the precariously positioned vehicle.

Once released, he was checked over by ambulance staff before being taken to hospital for assessment and further treatment for a collarbone injury and a minor head injury.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “This was an excellent example of partnership working.

“All three emergency services began searching roadsides in and around the Weobley area, and  eventually, after some good teamwork and the process of elimination, the man was located.”

The man believes he had been in the overturned vehicle since around 10:30pm, and when he had not returned home, his partner placed a ‘missing persons’ call to the authorities.

He had, however, taken a different route home from work than usual, complicating attempts to find the vehicle.

One fire service team from Eardisley and two from Leominster helped locate the crash victim.

A spokesman from the fire service said: “We had real difficulty finding him – he must have taken a different route home.

“Our operator Jack Chamberlain was critical in helping co-ordinate the search, relaying information from the trapped man to those on the ground.”