A RETIRED scientist who survived a horrific road crash said last night she cannot believe she is still alive.
Linda Herbert escaped with just a knee injury and cuts and bruises after her car and a tractor collided on a rural north-east road.
The 61-year-old said she saw the trailer of the oncoming John Deere swing into the front of her Ford Focus, sending it crashing off the road, through a fence and into a field.
Miss Herbert, from Fortrie, near Turriff, had to be cut free from the wreckage by firefighters and was taken by ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The accident happened just before midday on Monday on the B9024 Turriff-Fortrie road, a short distance from Miss Herbert’s home.
Last night, she said she would be eternally grateful to her rescuers.
“I’ve always been a very careful driver, mainly because I’m always so terrified of having a crash,” she said.
“I was on the way to an appointment at the health centre in Turriff when it happened. I was sent crashing through a fence and into a field where the car landed on its side.”
She said she remained conscious throughout the ordeal.
“I remember it all too well, unfortunately,” she said. “It felt like I was in the car, lying on its side, for quite a long time. I was in total shock.
“When the emergency services arrived they were so kind and so caring. I just want to thank them for everything they did for me.”
Miss Herbert, who specialised in medicinal sciences, said initially it was feared that her right leg had been severely damaged.
“It was wedged tight against the driver’s door of the car,” she said.
“It looked like my knee bone might have been shattered, but after they took some X-rays it turned out it was just sprained.
“That was a huge relief.
“I couldn’t walk the day after, but I’m managing to hobble about now.
“I’ve got a fair amount of cuts and bruises and I’ve been sent home with painkillers, but I know I’m incredibly lucky.
“I can’t believe I came out of this alive.
“When it happened I thought to myself ‘this must be the end’.”
Two fire crews from Turriff and Aberchirder were involved in the rescue.
They used cutting gear to free Miss Herbert from her vehicle, which has now been written off.
An ambulance team from Banff took her to hospital in Aberdeen, while local police kept the road closed for nearly two hours.