30873-21WHEN Lea Ockwell's girlfriend nagged him to eat his fish and chip supper before it went cold, he had no idea it would save his life.

If Lea, a 27-year-old self-employed garden worker, had gone out to his transit van as he had intended, it is almost certain he would have been killed.

For just seconds later, a speeding driver smashed into two cars and Lea's van parked in St Mary's Grove, Pinehurst, Swindon.

The van, which is essential for his work, was shunted 35 feet into a neighbour's garden ending up just inches from their front window.

It was the second road accident in the area in three days the aftermath of which one traffic police officer likened to Armageddon.

The first incident happened on Sunday night, killing 19-year-old Matthew Styles and seriously injuring Michael McCann, 37, who is still in hospital.

Both Sarah and Lea realise they are lucky and say they are glad that no one was seriously injured in the incident, which happened around 11.15pm on Tuesday.

"It sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it," said Sarah, 23, who is seven months pregnant with the couple's first child.

"If Lea had gone out to his van just a few seconds before, the consequences are unthinkable."

But while the couple know they are fortunate for Lea to have survived unscathed, the accident has left him unable to work.

As a self-employed worker on a limited budget, he cannot afford to pay up front for a hire van and must wait weeks for an insurance pay out, leaving him redundant and with no income for the time being.

Lea said: "It's not like I have lots of cash and can walk to work. I use lots of heavy machinery and most of my jobs are outside Swindon."

Mr Ockwell says he is going through a tough time at the moment. Last month his half brother Mark King died after being hit by a train on a railway line near Purton.

At the time of the crash, Mr Ockwell's van was loaded with £2,500 of gardening equipment.

The police told Mr Ockwell that had it been a lighter vehicle it could have smashed through his neighbour's front window.

The driver of the speeding car fled the scene of the accident, leaving behind his BMW embedded in Mr Ockwell's van. A 19-year-old man was arrested six hours later on suspicion of driving while unfit through drink or drugs and failing to stop after the accident.

He was bailed without charge pending further inquiries and is due to return to Westlea police station on July 9.

Emma-Kate Lidbury