THE victim of a car accident which occurred on Sunday probably owes her life to two Thirsk paramedics.

Sarah Jane King, 25, of Bedale, was found in a field after her car left the A168 between Thirsk and Northallerton and rolled over several times, ending up on its roof.

She was rescued by paramedic crew Shirley Andrew and Shirley Miller when they were returning to the station from the Friarage Hospital, Northallerton.

They noticed skid marks and a hole in the hedge and pulled over to investigate. It was not until they got into the field they found the car with no-one in it. But then they saw a shadow of a body curled up in the foetal position.

Shirley Miller said: "It was around 4.20am on our way back to Thirsk when we noticed the skid marks and hole in the hedge. When we got into the field, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a shadow. The girl was semi-conscious and hypothermic.

"We thought that she had been there a number of hours, but were not sure whether she had crawled out of her car or been thrown out.

"We always check if we see skid marks on a road. This time it paid off. She certainly would not have been here today had we not gone back. Her body temperature when we got her to hospital, even after warming her, was only 31 degrees. She is very lucky."

A spokesman from Tees East and North Yorks Ambulance Service said: "The paramedics had to struggle up a bank in pouring rain to carry the stretcher, quite a challenge.

"If our paramedics hadn't investigated, the driver would have died. As it is, she is expected to make a full recovery."