A WOMAN was rushed to hospital with ‘potentially life-threatening injuries’ after she was pinned to a bench by her legs after an accident outside a private retirement complex.

The victim, aged 61, had been sat on the bench by a car park at Moorland Court, off Station Road, West Moors, when the drama unfolded on Sunday afternoon.

An 80-year-old woman, understood to live locally, was driving a blue Daewoo Matiz when it was in collision with a parked blue Ford B-Max.

The owner of the Ford, a resident of Moorland Court, told the Echo: “I was just coming out of my flat when a neighbour came running down the corridor and said ‘quick, someone’s hit your car.’

“So I came down here and that’s when I saw the woman trapped by the bench, she was screaming her head off.

“I first thought that perhaps we could get either side of the car and lift it up, but someone said don’t do that, it might make things worse.

“By then one of the other residents had already called the police and the ambulance.

“That is the way it was, my car was hit by the other one and pushed onto the bench.

“The woman was sitting on the seat.”

No-one else was injured.

Another West Moors resident said: “Everyone has heard about what happened. We saw police cars, ambulances and a couple of fire engines.”

Yesterday, management at the retirement complex declined to comment on the incident.

However, Dorset Police have issued an appeal for witnesses following Sunday’s 2.11pm collision.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed: “Crews attended a collision involving a single vehicle and a pedestrian in Station Road.

“The vehicle was stabilised and first aid was given to the casualty.

“Firefighters then used lifting equipment to free the casualty before handing her over to paramedics.”

Anyone with information should contact PC Mark Burton at Dorset Police via dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting 10:275.