Pensioner cheated death when Mini smashed into her car as she cleaned it

POLICE BELIEVE DRIVER HAD SUFFERED A ‘MEDICAL EPISODE’

- By NATHAN PYNN

A PENSIONER says she was lucky not to be killed when a Mini crashed into the back of her car while she was cleaning it.

Sheila Chatfield, 68, was polishing the dashboard of her Peugeot 206 when the car smashed into the back of it on August 25, the day before her father’s funeral.

CCTV footage captured the terrifying moment the Mini lost control, hit the Peugeot and flipped onto its roof in Cossall. Sheila was knocked unconscious by the impact and was immediately rushed to the Queen’s Medical Centre.

She sustained severe facial injuries, including a fractured skull and extensive bruising around her eyes.

Recalling the incident, Sheila said: “I was lucky but I was unlucky. I'd just put my car onto the road to make room for my sisters that were coming as it was my dad's funeral the following day.”

She added: “I'd noticed the car was a bit scruffy so I got a can of polish and was leaning into the passenger door.”

Describing the moment of the crash, she said: “I just remember this smash and my head felt like it exploded. I spoke to my neighbour and asked if I was dying.”