Thanet woman ‘lucky to be alive’ after car fleeing police crashes into her Mercedes in Deal
A woman injured after a driver fleeing police in a high-speed chase crashed into her car says she feels lucky to be alive. Kelly Marie Algar had just left work in Deal when her Mercedes was hit by an uninsured motorist who she says was travelling at over 90mph.
The reckless driver fled following the smash - and police are still searching for him. Ms Algar, from Thanet, told KentOnline she had been on the road for less than a minute when the collision occurred.
"I had just left the family business with my cousin Laura, and we were driving along Sandwich Road when we were hit," she said.
"We were only on the road for 40 seconds when it happened. "This other car came racing up behind us, and tried to go around - but there was another car coming in the opposite direction, so he swung back into our lane and smashed into the rear driver's side bumper of our car."
The impact of the shunt was so severe that it forced her Mercedes A-Class off the road and into a ditch, with the back of the vehicle left crumpled. "We nearly died - the ambulance workers told me afterwards that they had expected a fatality when they saw the state of the car," she explained.
"The impact was dreadful and we ended up some 25 to 30 feet down in the ditch.
"When they checked me over they told me they thought both my legs and my ribs may be fractured, but somehow I've escaped with just bruises." Just over a week after the collision on Wednesday, November 22, the 29-year-old is now back at work at the Algar Lodge Farm Shop and Cafe, where she works with her cousin - who also escaped serious injury in the crash - and her parents.
Ms Algar is in charge of purchasing and social media for the business, which recently turned three years old after being established in November 2020. "I'm just thankful to be back in a normal routine - it's our family business so I'm very glad to be back at the shop," she said.
"I found out after the crash that the man who hit me was uninsured. So while I've got the ball rolling with my own insurance it will take a while.
"Something like this does give you a new appreciation for things. While I wouldn't say I feel lucky it happened, both Laura and I are very lucky the outcome wasn't far worse."
A police spokesman said that following the crash, the occupant of the vehicle involved in the police chase fled the scene. As of now, officers continue to search for him.
He added: "At around 6.12pm on Wednesday, November 22, a car failed to stop for police when requested to do so on the A258 near Worth. "The car then collided with another vehicle before the driver abandoned the car.
"A search was carried out for the driver but they could not be located. Enquiries are ongoing to locate and arrest them in relation to the incident. "No serious injuries were reported following the collision.
The make of the car which hit Ms Algar's Mercedes is not known.