Brechin man's brush with death an internet hit
A VIDEO showing a Brechin man making a miracle escape from certain death has become an internet hit.
Jim Clark was outside the Victoria Bar smoking a cigarette last summer when he noticed the van from local florist Sanpado travelling back into the town along the Montrose Road.
Believing a friend was behind the wheel, he started to move towards the edge of the curb to wave hello.
But the van was out control and was headed towards the door of the pub itself – known locally as the V&A - and towards Jim.
Incredibly, Jim only realised at the last second that the van was headed straight for him and he leapt out of the way just moments before the van collides with the pub at a speed of approximately 30mph.
The dramatic scenes were captured by the pub's CCTV camera and the video has attracted nearly 1,000 views on the video sharing site, Youtube, making something of a local star out of Jim.
Recalling the crash, which happened last summer, Jim said: "I went outside for a smoke with a couple of the lads. They finished up and went inside but I stayed outside to finish mine. I was sitting on the edge of the wall when I saw the Sanpado van and I thought it was Nikki (Christie] driving, who works at both the pub and Sanpado.
"So, I walked up to the curb and was going to give her a wave. I thought it was in a hurry though and it wasn't stopping. I just happened to step back and the van hit the door. It was a bit close!
"I just couldn't believe it. I never really thought about the danger."
The impact was such that it dislodged the doorframe and took a sizeable chunk out of the wall.
But Jim demonstrated nerves of steel by immediately checking on the condition of the driver after escaping certain death.
While the driver survived the collision, the van wasn't so lucky and had to be written off.
After watching the amazing video, Jim said: "I just laugh it off."
Manager of the bar, Bill Anderson, wasn't in the pub that day, but knew something was amiss when he started receiving strange text messages.
He said: "I was at Blair Drummond Safari Park when it happened. I started getting strange text messages from people asking me why I'd ordered so many flowers.
"If someone was standing there they would almost certainly have been killed."
For Nikki Christie, the whole event was completely surreal.
She said: "Both my jobs came together in a whole new way. I'd just finished my shift here and I was travelling past the V&A, saw the crash and had a double take!
"I'm amazed nobody was killed because there was a group of boys standing at the door seconds before it happened."
The incredible footage can be found on Youtube by clicking here or by searching for "van crashes into pub at centre of Brechin."
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Weather for Brechin
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 1 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 0 C to 5 C
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