Railway worker's "miracle" escape

Tony Osborn, 59, of South Street, was with his stepdaughter, Sara McLeod, in The Algarve, along with her three children, Kayley, 14, Reece, 12, and Dion, 10.

The Littlehampton mother has spoken of the events that quickly turned their dream holiday into a nightmare after the accident on a sightseeing "safari" tour the family had enjoyed two years previously.

Speaking to the Herald from her bed in Worthing Hospital, Sara, of Queen Street, described the harrowing experience and said she and her family had not yet come to terms with what had happened.

"We love the safari," said Sara. "You go up into the mountains in these big Jeeps painted with Zebra stripes and look at the wildlife and countryside. It's a beautiful place.

"There were eight of us in the jeep, the five of us and three Dutch tourists.

"Our driver was great fun, his name was Gonzo.

"About an hour and a half into the tour, at around 11.30am, we stopped at a water pump and we were messing around with him and splashing water.

"We got back into the Jeep and carried on. I remember that we were third in the convoy of five Jeeps and were winding our way down a steep mountain road.

"Gonzo tried to apply the brakes but nothing happened. I screamed and he said something like 'Oh God' or 'Oh Jesus' and started working down the gears to slow the Jeep down because it was picking up pace down the mountain."

Sara said the Jeep then rolled repeatedly down the side of the mountain and hit a tree where it came to a stop.

"When it stopped I realised I was trapped underneath the vehicle with the driver's decapitated body two feet above me. His blood was dripping onto me.

"I could see his head hanging down by a bit of skin at the back. It was horrible.

"I thought all my family were dead and I closed my eyes to die. Then I heard Reece groan and then Dion's voice, then Kayley's, and then Tony's and I knew they were alive."

Everyone but Sara and the driver had been thrown clear of the Jeep in the crash. Tony suffered a broken collarbone and vertebrae, Reece's skull was fractured and Kayley and Dion both had bad wounds to their knees. All three children were covered in bruises.

For full story and pictures, see the Lancing Herald dated Thursday, August 24, 2006.