MIRACULOUSLY four young men walked away from the wreckage of this car following the latest crash on Worcestershire's notorious A449.

One of the four had bought the red Audi Quattro just four hours before it careered off the dual carriageway near Worcester.

The car crashed through the central reservation, hit trees, collided with a metal barrier, and narrowly missed a lorry parked in a lay-by back before returning to the carriageway, rolling over and spinning round to face in the opposite direction before coming to a halt in a ditch.

Chillingly the spot where the accident happened is just yards away from the scene of where five people have died in two fatal accidents in the last three months.

Yesterday (23), all four survivors looked visibly relieved and shaken as they turned up to inspect the battered Audi.

The front left-hand side of the car had caved in, all of the windows shattered and smashed, seats ruined, roof seriously damaged, while one of the rear wheels stood at a 45-degree angle.

"I can't believe we've survived," said one of the passengers whose only injuries were a cut to a knuckle of his right hand and minor whiplash. "If I'd had my seat forward just a little bit further forward it would have taken my knee off."

All four men declined to give their names, but it is known the vehicle was travelling towards Worcester when it left the road about 300 yards (274 metres) from King's Hawford School, Hawford, at 10.30pm on Thursday (22).

The accident happened near to where 49-year-old Abberley farmer Ian Ballard ended up after he suffered a heart-attack while driving his blue Nissan Navara 4x4 before hitting a tree in January. It was also just a mile away from where four teenagers died after the car they were in crashed into a tree in December.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service crew travelling to Kidderminster witnessed Thursday night's incident.

Area manager Dug (corr) Holloway said: "These youths were very lucky in that they only suffered comparatively minor injuries."

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service were in attendance, while a police spokeswoman said the road was closed until just after midnight. The car was recovered by Eriksons (Motoring Services) Ltd and taken back to the company's depot in Sherriff Street, Worcester.

Jim Turner, headteacher of King's Hawford School, said the road was "unsafe" and "unstoppable" and urged for something to be done, especially now a petition to reduce the speed limit on the A449 from 70mph to 50mph has received more than 2,000 signatures. "It's quite depressing actually because it seems to be a month goes by and then the road is closed off because there's been another accident," he said.