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Dashcam footage of car rolling down A249 Detling Hill and into tree

13:00, 04 May 2017

updated: 13:24, 04 May 2017

A driver captured shocking dashcam footage of the moment a car careered backwards into a tree, narrowly missing other traffic.

The video records the heart-in-mouth moment the vehicle began to roll down Detling Hill, causing others to scramble out of the way.

The silver car then becomes lodged in a tree, and two people are seen running over to it.

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The car came to a stop up a tree on the A249. Picture: Kent Police Roads
The car came to a stop up a tree on the A249. Picture: Kent Police Roads

No other vehicles were hit, it is not yet known if anyone was inside the car at the time.

Just before the car is seen to roll back, other drivers had been queuing and could be seen indicating to move into the adjacent lane.

The accident happened in the Sittingbourne-bound carriageway of the A249, shortly before 5pm yesterday.

Driver Paul Morris-Hill captured the accident on his dashcam. The 25-year-old software developer said: “I always drive that way home and there’s never traffic really on that very steep hill. I was waiting about five or ten minutes, it was stop-start.

"Then all of a sudden the lorry in front of me tried moving left into my lane.

VIDEO: The moment was caught on a dashcam.

"Then it started trying to move right - I didn't see what was going on at first.

"This silver car came rolling back out of nowhere. I'd never seen anything like it before.

"I don't think it hit anybody, but I'm not certain. It just ploughed into the edge of the barrier and got catapulted up the tree.

"These two people were sprinting after it - it was like a scene from Benny Hill.

He added: "I'm really not sure why the car was empty. I think that maybe they had been in a little bump and both got out to check for damage.

The car came to a stop up a tree on the A249. Picture: Kent Police Roads
The car came to a stop up a tree on the A249. Picture: Kent Police Roads

"It's amazing the car managed to miss other vehicles. It pinged off the crash barrier on the other side of the road like there was a slalom.

"The owners were running after it - they were a bit out of breath but fine. When I drove past I asked if they were okay and they said they were going to call the police."

Officers closed the lane while the car was recovered and it had reopened by 7.30pm.

No-one was injured but the exact circumstances are not yet known.

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