Crash victim steals helper's car

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/somerset/7745464.stm

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A driver had his car stolen by a crash victim when he stopped to help at the scene of an accident in Somerset.

John Chard witnessed a collision between two vehicles on the A362 near Frome and left his Ford Mondeo to attend an injured woman.

But as the 65-year-old magistrate called for an ambulance on his mobile phone, his car was suddenly driven away by the other motorist.

Mr Chard, from Midsomer Norton, said he was "absolutely shocked".

The accident happened at the junction of Coalash Lane on 11 November.

'Cops and robbers'

Mr Chard said one of the drivers appeared to be uninjured, so he went to help the other, who was slumped across the passenger seat.

"I went up and saw she was having difficulty breathing and had pains in her chest, so I dialled 999 to call the ambulance.

"While I was on the phone, I turned around and [the other driver] just drove off in my car. I was absolutely shocked.

"It just didn't seem real. It's something you see on a cops and robbers film, not something you see on a country road on the way to Frome."

The car, registration number Y467 GYC, has not yet been recovered, but is said to have been spotted in the Bristol area.

An Avon and Somerset police spokesman said motorists were advised to remove their keys when leaving their vehicles at all times.

Mr Chard admitted: "I must say, I'm so careful, I'm always telling my wife not to leave her keys in the ignition and then I turn round and do it myself."