THE driver of a car which somersaulted off a flyover onto the M48 near Chepstow can thank his lucky stars after leaving hospital with minor injuries less than a day later.

And the Review can also reveal that just two days before the dramatic crash off the old Severn Bridge exit slip road, “thrill seekers” had risked their own and others’ lives by climbing the crossing’s 47m-high towers.

As reported first on the Review’s website, the car crashed off the flyover around 1.45pm on Monday (February 26), plunging upside down onto the busy motorway.

A witness said it crashed straight through a safety barrier, but amazingly no other vehicles were hit on the road below or motorists injured.

One witness who was behind the car on the flyover said the driver was trying to overtake a lorry on the left side as he went round the roundabout and lost control.

Andrew Thomas, who was on the M48 below, added just after the crash: “It landed two cars in front of me, and they have just let us pass on the hard shoulder.

“We thought he was dead, but he started talking before the police arrived.”

Review general manager Nicky Lewis was one of the first on the scene as she drove to Chepstow from Newport, tipping off the editorial team.

“There were fire engines and ambulances everywhere – I can’t believe he’s got away without serious injuries,” she said later.

Emergency services rushed to the scene between Junctions 1 and 2, where firefighters had to cut the driver out before he was airlifted to Southmead Hospital in Bristol with suspected “serious pel­vic and spinal injuries.”

But Gwent Police confirmed yesterday morning (Tuesday, February 27) that the lucky motorist had been discharged from hospital.

The old Severn Bridge westbound carriageway was shut for almost six hours, causing long rush hour tailbacks before the road was reopened after 7.30pm.

There were also long delays on the M4 at the Second Severn Crossing tolls as drivers took the alternative route, with 11-mile long queues.

A spokesman for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “At 1.43pm South Wales Fire and Rescue Service was called to a collision on the M48 Westbound, at junction 2, to reports of one vehicle leaving the flyover and landing on the motorway. Crews from Chepstow and Maindee attended.

“One casualty with possible pelvis and spinal injuries was treated by the air ambulance. The casualty was released using hydraulic cutting equipment.”

The incident came just two days after police were forced to temporarily close the bridge when 10 self-styled “urban explorers” scaled the cable to the top of the bridge’s tower on the English side of the Severn.

Sporting ‘Madness Jumpers’ tops, the group from Bristol had no safety harnesses when they started climbing around 8am, filming themselves with head cameras and a drone, with one even filmed hanging off the outside of a safety grill above the deadly drop.

They were met by police and highways officers after descending, although some ran off.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police later said they had not committed any criminal offences, despite putting their own and other lives at risk.

“We were called to reports of a concern for welfare on Saturday morning – a number of men had climbed the old Severn Bridge at about 8am,” he said.

“Because of the poor and potentially dangerous weather conditions and icy temperatures the M48 over the bridge was closed.

“After 10 minutes the group came down and were given words of advice. No criminal offences were committed.”

However, Highways England said a security gate had been damaged during the climb and a prosecution

for criminal damage would be pursued.

A spokesperson said: “Safety is our top priority and as such we are deeply concerned by this incident, in which a group of people put their lives at serious risk.

“It is a civil offence to trespass on the bridge, and as one of the security gates was damaged on the main cable we will now be liaising with Avon and Somerset Police as to pursuing a prosecution for criminal damage.”

Group member Ally Law, who previously broke into the set of Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother during filming of a live episode, posted footage of the climb online, prompting some on social media to slam the group’s actions as “idiotic”.