A FAMILY of three had a miraculous escape after their car flew through the air and landed on its roof.

The driver, suspended upside down, was only saved by his seat-belt - and a courageous HGV driver who scrambled inside the vehicle to hold him up until emergency crews arrived.

"He was an extraordinarily lucky man," said paramedic Kieran Byrne, who tended the trapped casualty, a man from Castlefields.

"He was supported by this guy, otherwise he would have been crucified in the car.

"Being trapped upside down, there is the potential for crush injuries and, because you can't expand your chest, you can have respiratory problems and possibly lose consciousness.

"Amazingly, he had nothing dramatically wrong with him, just minor injuries, a pain in his right leg and facial grazes to the head."

The painstaking rescue was carried out with delicate precision, he said, in case there were any spinal injuries, while keeping emergency crews safe.

"It was a great team effort with the fire brigade and police," said Kieran. "It's always at the back of your mind that the car could burst into flames."

The driver's wife, lying on the roof of the car, was freed by firefighters and their daughter, in the back, managed to clamber out on her own.

All three were taken to Whiston Hospital.

The accident happened shortly after 10am on Tuesday, when a Vauxhall Corsa was involved in a collision with a Scania HGV, on the Central Expressway, as the road splits towards Daresbury.

Firefighters suspect the car may have hit the kerb sideways after the collision and then rolled over.

Watch manager Mike Clark praised the lorry driver involved in the accident, who risked his life to help the trapped motorist.

He said: "He got himself into the overturned car and was stabilising the casualty when we got there. He was holding him in the air while he was upside down and stayed there throughout the rescue. He was in a contorted position but it was safer to keep him in. He did a really good job."

Firefighters cut the middle post between the front and back door to create space to reach the front seat passenger.

"It was really good team work," said Mr Clark. "We all worked very well together. It was a good rescue. We're all pleased we got everyone out quite quickly."