QUESTIONS have been raised about the need for effective crash barriers on steep drops beside forest roads, following two crashes in the past few days.

The first incident happened on Saturday when a red Peugeot 206 travelling towards Lydney from Whitecroft suffered a mechanical failure, following which it left the road and fell 35 feet down a steep bank.

The driver, Steve Carpenter from Caldicot, managed to get free from the wreckage, and scaled the bank to get back to the road.

His wife, Ali, told the Review: "We are not sure exactly what happened to the car, it may well have been the suspension had snapped, but the car wasn't steerable and Steve went right over the edge. The car hit two trees on the way down, and ended up in a river. The roof had gone, and the passenger side was completely smashed in. The air bags went off and all the bits that should crumple on impact had done so. He managed to salvage his radio and his boss's tools, and then had to climb up the slope.

"When he got to the top of the bank, a car stopped and the driver asked Steve if he was OK. Then he saw the wreck and told Steve that he had actually had a crash himself on the same stretch of road a couple of weeks ago.

"We are so grateful to that kind man who stopped – we didn't get his name but through the Review we would like to thank him so much for his help."

She added: "The paramedics could not believe that Steve had walked away from the crash with just a few cuts to his hand. They put him on a spinal board for safety, but luckily he came away almost unhurt."

Attempts were being made on Tuesday morning to recover the car from where it came to rest.

The second crash happened on the Lydney to Bream road on Monday afternoon at around 4pm, when two fire engines attended the incident – where, in a chilling reflection of Saturday's event, the car had come to a similar fate.

In a statement, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue service said: "At 16.26hrs Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service attended a road traffic collision with a person trapped on Bream Road in Lydney.

"Two fire engines attended the incident from Lydney station with a total of eight fire fighters. The driver of the vehicle had gone down a verge approximately 20-30 feet steep. Fortunately his legs were not trapped in the vehicle and Lydney fire fighters managed to extricate the casualty by removing the roof of the car.

"The casualty was then placed on a spinal board to allow emergency services to safely carry him back to the road. He was taken to hospital for further treatment."

The road was closed to all traffic for two hours following the incident.

An expert in road traffic accidents told the Review: "Forest Road is a particularly dangerous one, and has claimed quite a few victims over the years, and in my experience the resulting crashes can be serious. These two seem to have been lucky.

"There have been calls for crash barriers along some sections of both the Bream and Forest roads, and that is something I think should be investigated. The winding nature of those roads, plus the amount of water and leaves on them, make them very dangerous. Drivers should treat them with extreme care, and take into account their speed and the weather conditions."