A Lisfannon man escaped death by seconds in a horrific crash at a notorious Inishowen accident blackspot, the Inish Times can reveal.

Seamus McLaughlin said he was lucky to be alive after watching in horror as a car “flew” over his head before plunging into the garden of his home on the main Buncrana to Derry road at around 9.30 p.m. on Monday last.

 The crash occurred at a bend on the same stretch of road where five Eastern Europeans were killed in a two-car collision in February, 2006, and is the second time in as many years a car has ended up in Mr. McLaughlin’s garden, which is situated 15 feet below one of the busiest roads in the peninsula.

Speaking yesterday to the Inish Times, Mr. McLaughlin said he was “pretty shook up” by the incident..

He said: “I had just finished cutting the grass in the garden and had locked up the shed and was returning to the house when the car came clean over the top of the shed and flew over my head and smashed into the garden wall.”

The impact of the crash threw the passenger from the car while the driver had to be cut free by fire crews. Both men were taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry where their injuries are believed not to be life-threatening.

Mr. McLaughlin added: “As soon as it happened I phoned the Gardai and neighbours were on the scene almost immediately to comfort both men, both of whom appeared to be in a lot of pain.”

Mr. McLaughlin said the occupants of the car, although injured, were also fortunate not to be killed.

He explained: “If the car had not hit the wall it would have went over the edge and fell 30 feet onto the beach below.”

He added: “This is the second time something like this has happened. Two years ago a car also landed in the garden. I fear it is only a matter of time before a member of my family is seriously injured or killed.”

Local councillor, Peter McLaughlin, who attended the crash scene, said it bore a shocking resemblance to the current hard-hitting television advertisement which features a car careering into a garden.

Cllr McLaughlin said road safety measurements on the bend needed to be improved and called on the County Council to “revaluate” the situation.

He said: “At the time of the last crash, I called on the council to take a look at that bend and a crash barrier went in part of the way but, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to go far enough.

“It is a dangerous corner. The council should look at it, evaluate it and upgrade it in order to protect drivers, the people who live on that road and perdestrians who walk there. They need to look at better and more road signage as well as adjusting the road surface.”

The accident was the second horrific crash to occur within hours of each other on Monday. Several hours earlier, a car ended up on its roof after being involved in a collision with another vehicle at Newtowncunningham on the main Bridgend to Letterkenny Road, another notorious accident blackspot.

Ironically, the crash occurred only hours after Newtown councillor Francis Conaghan expressed concern about the road.

Speaking at the Inishowen Area Electoral meeting, Cllr. Conaghan said junctions on the road “were causing a lot of concern.”

He said: Whatever money we have should be going to what is needed. There are a series of bad bends and seriously dangerous junctions and unless we’re going to tackle them, then we’re just wasting money.”