A DRIVER escaped serious injury despite his van plunging 25ft off a motorway bridge and landing on its roof on the road below.

The van had swerved and lost control on the M61 over the A673 Bolton Road, before crashing through the barrier.

It then went down a grass banking before ending up on its roof at about 10.20am yesterday.

The man at the wheel, aged in his 20s, was taken to Royal Preston Hospital by air ambulance as a precautionary measure.

He had managed to free himself from the van, and reports suggest he was conscious and complaining of pain in his leg.

A North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) spokesman said he was placed in a neck brace but suffered no visible injuries.

He had managed to scramble through some brambles before collapsing, and he was given initial first aid by passers-by and firefighters.

The driver's airbag had deployed after the van had first landed on its front, according to firefighters.

The white Mercedes Sprinter van came to a halt before reaching Bolton Road, so no other vehicles were involved.

It left huge divots in the grass at the bottom of the banking, as well as a trail of spilt oil.

Trees and hedges were flattened by the vehicle, while the emergency services put some tape on the barrier on the motorway above to signify the gap.

The front of the van was crumpled and the windscreen was shattered, with the vehicle eventually towed away.

Police, firefighters, two road ambulances and the air ambulance had been called to the scene at about 10.25am.

They righted the van, which had been travelling northbound on the M61, and ascertained that nobody else was trapped underneath.

Bolton Road was closed in both directions after the crash but later reopened, while the Highways Agency said one lane of the M61 was closed for a short period.

A spokesman from Chorley Fire Station, said: "We gave the man first aid and there were already passers-by doing a very good job with him when we got there.

"We were checking him out and keeping him stable.

"He had rolled over and come down the bank and got himself out by extricating himself through some brambles before collapsing on the ground.

"Our priority was first aid for him and then we made sure that nobody else was involved in the incident.

"I was surprised he was not more badly hurt."

A spokesman for NWAS said: "We took a call at about 10.20am today and two road ambulances and an air ambulance were sent to the scene.

"A man in his 20s was taken to Royal Preston Hospital by air ambulance and the hospital were put on standby for his arrival."