Boy hurt after Leicestershire council tip barrier smashes through car window
A 17-year-old boy with autism was left with deep cuts to his chin after a large metal barrier at a council tip came crashing down on his dad's car.
The teenager was in the passenger seat of a BMW heading into Oadby Recycling and Household Waste Site in Oadby, Leicestershire, last Saturday.
His mum said her son and husband, who was driving at the time, were both left traumatised by the episode, which happened at around 3:45pm.
The barrier smashed through the windscreen and caused so much damage to the dashboard that it was impossible to turn the car's engine off.
She said, "A gust of wind caught the barrier and it went down and smashed through the car, causing deep lacerations to my son's chin.
"I think he was very lucky not to have been more badly injured. If there had been a baby in a baby seat in the front it would have been killed."
Thankfully the boy's father pushed him out of the car and he rolled to safety before the barrier could do any more damage.
She said the barrier at the Wigston Road site had been removed completely following the incident.A spokesman for Leicestershire County Council, which runs the tip, said, "We’re aware of an incident on the access road of Oadby’s recycling and household waste site on Saturday.“Leicestershire Police have been investigating the circumstances. The county council has been helping with that inquiry and is carrying out its own investigation.”The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been approached for comment.