Terrifying welcome to West Coast

A former Dunedin chef had a terrifying welcome to the West Coast this week when his car plunged into the Grey River.

Richard Bilsborough (25) vaguely remembers hitting the water and, when reality hit, looking down to see the water rising over his lap and the vehicle quickly sinking.

The air conditioning had been on because of the mid-afternoon heat on Thursday, so all the windows were closed, but the water kept pouring in.

‘‘I tried opening the door, but it just wouldn't open. I remember looking around and when I looked to the right I saw a window had smashed on impact and I quickly got over there and basically jumped out.''

He doubts he would have got out if the window had not broken because of the pressure on the doors and windows.

He landed in the water and then thought he would have to go back to retrieve his wallet and keys.

‘‘But when I surfaced about 4m downstream and looked around, [the car] was gone.''

He could not touch the bottom and was disoriented by the accident, but he managed to drag himself up the bank to the road, where he flagged down a passerby.

‘‘I'm so lucky to be alive,'' he said yesterday.

Mr Bilsborough shifted from Dunedin to Blackball just two weeks ago to take up a position as head chef at the Speight's Ale House in Greymouth.

While heading home during a work break on Thursday, he lost control of his car after hitting loose gravel, and ploughed through the bush and into the river.

‘‘I realised I was not going to make it back [on to the road] and just held on for the ride, basically.''

The car shot down the embankment, landed on its roof on the rocks and then toppled about 2m into the water.

Driving past the crash scene afterwards ‘‘freaked'' him out and he had a sleepless night.

He was sore yesterday, with quite a few scratches and a couple of haematomas where the seatbelt had cut into him, but he was thankful.

‘‘I just feel pretty . . . lucky. It hasn't really kicked in, although I know I've lost a brand new car.''

Mr Bilsborough had a lucky escape from a car accident in Dunedin seven years ago and was not expected to survive then: ‘‘I didn't think I would be saved again, but I've had yet another lucky escape.''

He was also thankful his pet dog was not in the car: ‘‘I just wouldn't have been able to save her and get out. I couldn't have.''

Mr Bilsborough said he was insured and, in the meantime, members of the Blackball community, whom he had only just met, had rallied around with support and offers of help and cars.

‘‘I can't thank everyone enough, especially those who stopped. I just urge others to be careful.''

Constable Noel McEwen, of Greymouth, said Mr Bilsborough would not be charged as grit was being laid on the road and no warning signs were in place.

The driver was ‘‘very, very lucky'', he said.