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UK: Kurdish Man cheated death as car
plunged into river
17.1.2008
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January 17, 2008
Peterborough, UK, -- Factory worker has told
how he cheated death after his car left a road and
plunged into the chilly waters of the Nene.
Shokry Sumo, of Kesteven Walk, Peterborough, was
travelling home when an oncoming vehicle forced him
off North Bank, near Whittlesey, and into the river.
The 25-year-old, who squirmed out of the driver's
window before his Mazda 323 sank, put his escape
down to God and a slice of fortune.
Mr Sumo, a Kurd from Kurdistan region 'northern
Iraq' who came to Britain as an asylum seeker in
2002, said: "I think it was good luck and maybe God
had his eye on me. If I'd had electric windows, I
would have died."
Mr Sumo was driving alone at around 9.30pm when he
had his brush with death. Having just finished a
shift as an agency driver,www.ekurd.net
he was returning from
Whittlesey to snatch some rest at home before going
to his main job in Godmanchester when the accident
happened. |
Shokry Sumo, who survived a car crash, with
housemate Danny Sailm. |
As he went around a
sharp bend on North Bank, which has no centre line
markings, an oncoming vehicle appeared on his side
of the road.
Mr Sumo said he braked and swerved, but as he came
off the road and onto the verge his car slid out of
control and into the river.
He said: "I drive on that road every day and I went
down to 45mph, but I had a bloke coming at me. I
didn't want to go towards the river, but I wanted to
get away from him and slow down."
The Mazda hit the water and floated with headlights
still blazing.
Mr Sumo said: "I had the driver's window down a bit
already to make the windows less misty and I managed
to open it a little bit more, get out and swim to
the bank. The car was still floating and slowly
moved to my side.
"I was freezing and really scared. In one way I was
happy because I had survived,www.ekurd.net
but I wondered what
would have happened if the window hadn't opened."
Mr Sumo said the car which forced his evasive action
had not stopped, but some other good samaritans did
pull over and gave him a lift back to his workplace
at Whittlesey.
By the time a colleague phoned the police, officers
had already launched a desperate search for
casualties with the force helicopter.
Mr Sumo, who was uninjured, said: "The police said
my car was in the river and was like a house for the
fishes. I think markings in the middle of the road
would help. Too many drivers have had crashes on
that road."
peterboroughtoday co.uk
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