By Michael MacLeod
A PENSIONER was in critical condition last night after slamming his car into a petrol station.
The 70-year-old is thought to have had a heart attack at the wheel after filling up at a Tesco filling station in Stirling.
His silver BMW saloon lunged into a petrol pump before careering over a newspaper stand and finally stopping just inches from a kiosk door.
Medics were called to help the injured driver while police moved in to inspect the damage at 10.30am yesterday.
Dangerous
The driver was taken by ambulance to Stirling Royal Infirmary and was tonight (Monday) said to be in a “critical” condition.
The two staff members within the garage shop escaped injury but were sent home at lunchtime.
Emergency crews feared the damaged fuel stand could have been dangerous so they sealed off the forecourt.
But police later gave drivers the all-clear after two-hour examination of the pump.
Ann Sulieman, 55, from Stirling witnessed the aftermath of the accident.
“Smashed looking”
She said: “I went to Tesco to fill up but when I got there about 11am it was closed.
“It’s a busy wee petrol station and there were a lot of cars having to turn round. The traffic was quite bad as a result with people squeezing round the mini roundabout.
“There was a police car blocking the entrance and a van parked in the station with their lights flashing. I saw two officers walking around and interviewing the staff.
“I couldn’t really see what had happened but people were saying that a car had crashed into a pump.
“I went back later in the afternoon and it was open again but the pump on the left hand side was out of order.
“The signs around the pump were bent and the newspaper stand in front of the kiosk was all smashed looking.
“It must have been terrible for the man. It’s lucky that there wasn’t more damage – it could have been a real problem if it had hit the pump.”
Appealing for witnesses
A spokeswoman for Central Scotland Police said: “At around 10.30am a car collided with signage surrounding a petrol pump.
“There as no damage to the petrol pump, and an elderly man was taken to Stirling Royal Infirmary, where he is critically ill.
“Inquiries are continuing and we are appealing for witnesses to contact police.”
Tesco were unavailable for comment tonight (Monday).
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