A DRIVER had a miraculous escape when an out-of-control car careered up the bonnet of her convertible and was launched over her head into the air.

Four cars were involved in yesterday evening's horror crash at 6pm outside the Colliers Arms pub in Chorley Old Road, Bolton, that left four people injured and a black Volkswagen Golf GTI on its roof in the middle of the road.

PC Matt Picton, of GMP's Roads Policing Unit, said the Golf was heading westbound out of Bolton when it collided with a Fiat Panda coming in the opposite direction in a "glancing blow".

The Golf rebounded into a Mitsubishi 4x4 travelling in the same direction, ripping off the rear off-side wheel, and was deflected across the carriageway into the path of an eastbound silver soft-top Peugeot 206 being driven by a woman in her 40s.

PC Picton said the low profile of the front of the convertible acted like a ramp for the Golf.

He said: "Because of the shape, it's ridden up the bonnet, up the windscreen and it's taken off.

"It's flipped upside down and landed on its roof and then it's slid down Chorley Old Road on its roof for about 100yards, taking out bollards and a Keep Left sign and then come to a rest.

"If the Golf had been going slower then it could have come to a rest on top of the Peugeot and crushed the woman inside."

The sight of the Golf being thrown into the air was described by one witness as like a stunt from the car-based action movie Bad Boys.

One resident, who did not wished to be named, said: "When we heard the bang we turned around and saw a black car in the air.

"We heard the impact where it had hit another car. It must have flown 50 feet in the air.

"We ran up to help to see if the people in the cars were all right."

Three of the occupants of the Golf fled, leaving behind a rear seat passenger who was trapped because he had broken his leg.

He was rescued by locals who ran out of their houses after hearing the bang.

Police found two of the other occupants nearby: one had suffered a sustained broken back and was taken to Royal Bolton Hospital for treatment and a second, a man in his mid-20s from Westhoughton, was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and remains in custody.

The Peugeot driver suffered minor cuts and bruises and an injury to her left leg while the man behind the wheel of the Mitsubishi, a man in his 40s, sustained facial cuts and whiplash.

No injury was reported by the woman in her 30s who was behind the wheel the Fiat.

Police closed a seciton of Chorley Old Road for almost four hours to deal with the aftermath of the smash.

PC Picton said: "The two occupants of the Golf who are at Royal Bolton Hospital are being treated as witnesses. They were not arrested.

"The fourth occupant has not been traced and we need to speak to him at the very at least to know he is all right.

"Chorley Old Road is a busy road and I would urge anybody who witnessed the collision or witnessed the manner of driving of the Golf before the collision to contact us."

The Roads Policing Unit can be reached on 0161 856 6108 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.