A father and his young daughter are counting their blessings after a catastrophic encounter with a pothole on a Wiltshire road nearly ended in disaster, completely wrecking their high-performance Aston Martin car in the process.
Dream Car Destroyed in Seconds
Andrew McQueen, 52, was returning from a delightful father-daughter outing to Peppa Pig World with his 10-year-old daughter Poppy when their day took a terrifying turn. Driving his cherished Aston Martin DB9 along the A346 through Saverake Forest near Marlborough, Wiltshire, Andrew encountered what he describes as "craters" rather than mere potholes.
"There wasn't just one, there were loads of them in one big clump all over the road for a few hundred yards," Andrew recounted. "It didn't matter if you were going left or right, you were going through them."
Catastrophic Impact at 40mph
The furniture designer from Tetbury, Gloucestershire, explained that by the time he spotted the hazard, he was already committed at 40mph with no viable escape route. The impact was immediate and devastating.
"There was a gigantic bang which made the whole car shudder," Andrew described. "We were zig-zagging a couple hundred yards down the road with no brakes because they had been ripped out."
The violent collision tore the entire front wheel assembly from the vehicle, along with the braking system, leaving Andrew fighting for control. The Aston Martin, which he had coveted since childhood and considered his "dream car," is now likely to be declared a total write-off.
Emotional Aftermath and Lucky Escape
Following the impact, the shaken pair faced a lengthy wait in darkness for recovery services, during which Poppy became understandably distressed. "What made me angry was when she started crying in the back of the car on the way home," Andrew revealed. "She said to me that it was 'all her fault because she made us go to Peppa Pig World and now my Aston Martin was written off.'"
Despite the emotional turmoil and Andrew sustaining a shoulder injury from wrestling with the steering wheel, both emerged physically unharmed - a fact that only fully registered later. "When it sunk in later that night I was just thinking how lucky we were to have not been killed or have ended up in hospital!" Andrew reflected.
Council Response and Safety Concerns
Wiltshire Council has acknowledged the incident and the poor condition of the A346, though they note the specific accident hadn't been formally reported. Martin Smith, cabinet member for highways at Wiltshire Council, stated: "I am very sorry to hear about this incident. We are aware of the condition of the A346 and will be carrying out emergency repair works in the area where this incident occurred."
Andrew has since taken action to highlight the dangerous road conditions, contacting his local MP and applying pressure on the council for urgent repairs. "The more people that know about it the better so they can avoid the road and get it fixed," he urged. "It doesn't matter what car you've got - we all pay our road tax so why haven't they looked after these roads?"
While grateful for their safety, Andrew emphasized the potential for worse outcomes: "I was more concerned with getting my daughter back to school and I'm just happy we are all safe. But it would have been a different matter if Poppy had got hurt!"
