A DRIVER who escaped a devastating crash when his 40-tonne lorry smashed into a bridge has said the accident was caused when he sneezed.

Mark O’Brien escaped relatively unscathed from the crash into the Castle Howard flyover which wrote off the vehicle and caused the A64 to be closed for hours.

The moments after the crash were caught on camera by a BBC crew from Helicopter Heroes – screened yesterday – which showed Mr O’Brien walking on the carriageway with a bandaged head and blood on his face having climbed from the wreckage.

He was airlifted to hospital for treatment for a laceration to his head and a suspected bruised sternum.

Mr O’Brien said: “I just started sneezing. I grabbed my nose, went dizzy and then, bang. It makes me feel very lucky I got out of it. I got out with a few minor injuries really. I was a very lucky lad, very lucky indeed.”

A policeman filmed at the scene, who was not named, said: “We were fully expecting for this to be a fatality and I think the report was that it was a fatality but the driver was sat in the corner. He has got a nasty head injury but it looks like he is going to survive.”

The pilot flying Mr O’Brien to hospital considered him so lucky, he asked crew to get a prediction for the Euro Millions from him.

Speaking yesterday, Mr O’Brien, who lives in Bridlington, said he had not seen the programme because he was working but he was back to full health.

Following the crash in February, Clive Warcup, owner of the Clive Warcup hauliers vehicle being driven by Mr O’Brien, said: “These modern vehicles are very well designed and the space the driver works in is very well protected and this has been demonstrated by the way this guy has climbed out straight after with very little injury.

“He told me he had a conversation with the first motorist on the scene who asked if he was all right.

“He was able to climb out himself and walk on the road.”