TWO MEN are considered lucky to be alive after a horrific single-vehicle crash in Cork city in the early hours of this morning.
The VW Passat the men were travelling in collided with several poles and brought down power lines on the Douglas Road in the city around 2 am.
The car eventually came to a halt when it wrapped around a steel pole.
Crews attend a road traffic collision overnight and used hydraulic cutting equipment to free the occupants.
Crumple zones help to absorb the force of the collision, ensuring the passenger compartment remained intact. Occupants brought to hospital by @AmbulanceNAS for treatment. pic.twitter.com/BzNN6iFenO— Cork City Fire Brigade (@CorkCityFire) May 8, 2018
Locals described the sound of the impact as similar to a rocket.
The force was so great that the engine was completely ripped from its mountings and flung from the vehicle.
Debris was strewn across a wide area at the scene.
Firefighting crews had to use cutting equipment to free one of the men from the wreckage.
Both men were taken to Cork University Hospital where they are being treated for minor injuries.
Emergency service personnel at the scene said it was a miracle that anyone survived given the damage to the vehicle.
Eoin English from the Irish Examiner posted an image of the wreckage on Twitter.
2 young men are being treated in CUH after an horrific crash on Douglas Rd #Cork c2am. Car struck several poles, brought down power lines, engine was flung from vehicle. Fire crews had to use cutting equipment to free the men. Locals described sound of crash like a rocket. pic.twitter.com/0z3QqoDhYh
— Eoin English (@EoinBearla) May 8, 2018
