A MOTORIST escaped with minor head injuries after his car (pictured) smashed into a bridge and an oncoming vehicle on Dartmoor over the Easter weekend.

All three emergency services attended the scene at Dunnabridge near Dartmeet where the driver, thought to be in his 50s and local, was trapped in the wreckage of his Ford Ka.

Specialist cutting gear was used to free him before he was taken by ambulance to hospital for a check-up.

The car demolished a section of the parapet and collided with a car approaching from the opposite direction.

Two children and their mother in the other car escaped unhurt from the collision which happened at 5pm on Sunday.

Devon’s air ambulance was called out - and landed nearby - but its services were not required once it was apparent the casualty’s injuries were not as serious as first thought.

A fire spokesman said the driver was fortunate the bridge structure was strong enough withstand the impact.

‘Otherwise it could have been a lot more serious,’ he said.

Cutting equipment was used to prise off the crumpled door which had preventedf the conscious casualty climbing out of his wrecked vehicle.

The other car suffered much slighter damage to its front.

Fire crews from Ashburton and Buckfastleigh attended the incident.

One firefighter said: ‘Luckily, the driver was wearing his seatbelt and got away with relatively minor injuries considering the impact that was made with the bridge.’