A MOTORIST who had a “miraculous escape” after crashing off a bridge on the Bingley bypass has been tested for drink-driving.

Police accompanied the man to hospital as it was suspected he had been drinking after he was rescued from the Land Rover Discovery which had plunged 30ft from the bridge and landed in a ditch.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service sent two Hazardous Area Response Teams to the scene of the crash on the northbound carriageway near Cottingley shortly before midnight on Friday.

The driver had suffered facial and hand injuries and was taken by ambulance to Leeds General Infirmary.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Police were called at 11.54pm to a single vehicle road traffic collision on the Bingley bypass, where a Land Rover Discovery had gone into a ditch.

“The ambulance service attended and the bypass was closed until 8.10am on Saturday.

“The driver was the only person in the vehicle and went to Leeds General Infirmary.

“Inquiries are ongoing into the incident.”

The police spokesman said it will take six weeks for the driver’s blood test results to come back, and following the result of the test appropriate action will then be taken.

Sergeant Aiden Driver, of Shipley Neighbourhood Policing Team, added: “The car came off the bypass and miraculously there were no injuries and no other vehicles involved.

“I come over the bypass regularly and it’s a long way down there, somebody has had a miraculous escape.”

Councillor John Pennington (Con, Bingley) said the drop from the bypass is similar to “the height of a house”.

He said: “There must have been something strange because it's on a straight part of the bypass, and how a vehicle can go off and through the fence there beggars belief.

“There must either have been something wrong with the driver or the car to go off at that point at what looks like almost a right angle.

“Temporary concrete barriers are in place now and you would not be able to move them.

“I am pretty certain Highways will be on to this quickly to fix the barriers as they got the temporary barriers in place very promptly, but the bypass is safe. It would take a juggernaut to shift them.”

Police have appealed for witnesses to the crash or who saw the car shortly beforehand to call the Bradford District Roads Policing Team by calling 101, and quoting crime log number 2085 of Friday, December 1.