Driver escapes after colliding with a tree

The driver of this vehicle has been called 'a very lucky man'. Photo / Greymouth Star

The driver of a car was lucky to escape alive after colliding with a tree this morning.

Greymouth chief fire officer Lee Swinburn said the driver did not need to be cut out and was a "very lucky man".

The man crashed into a tree and ended up in the front hedge of a Marsden Road property, just before the Sawyers Creek No 5 bridge at 8.30am.

The driver was taken to hospital. The crash shocked neighbouring residents, who were unsure how the car ended up in its position in the hedge.

"There was a hell of a bang," Marsden Road resident Kevin Caldwell said.

-Greymouth Star