'HOW did they survive that?' That's what Ambulance officers asked each other when they arrived at the scene of an horrific collision between a small car and a lorry on the A49 between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye.

Ambulance Locality Manager, Malcolm Price, who was in one of five ambulances scrambled to the Hoarwithy Crossroads on Tuesday said it is 'miraculous' that none of the four passengers of the VW Polo were killed.

"When I saw the damage to the car I thought we would definitely be dealing with fatalities," he said.

The impact pushed the back of the car past its own back axle and the Scania lorry was only inches from actually hitting the heads of the back seat passengers directly. Fire Fighters cut the roof from the car to release its occupants, who were shocked but conscious throughout.

The female driver was flown by air ambulance to Royal Gloucester Hospital with back and neck injuries and was later released. The two male and one female passengers of the car and the male lorry driver were all taken to Hereford General Hospital with neck and back injuries, none believed to be life threatening.