A DUNFERMLINE MSP escaped serious injury when a car smashed into the side of the bus she was travelling on.

Cara Hilton only suffered a sore neck in the collision between the Stagecoach bus and a Citroen on the A921 Admiralty Road between Rosyth and Inverkeithing on Monday.

She was the sole passenger on the service 73 when the crash occurred around 5.30pm at the junction at Belleknowes industrial estate.

Mrs Hilton said the Citroen had been turning right out of the junction and smashed into the front doors of the bus, causing substantial damage and shattering glass.

She told the Press, “I could just see it happening in slow motion. I could see the car coming out and prepared myself for impact.

“I just thought, ‘This is it’. I could just see everything flashing before my eyes.

“The car came out really fast and didn’t seem to realise it was a busy road.

“The bus driver did what he could to avoid it and tried to swerve. There was traffic on the other side of the road as well. It turns out the driver of the car was American and it was a hire car so maybe he wasn’t used to it.” Mrs Hilton had left her car at Inverkeithing train station and was returning from a committee visit.

She was “relieved” to be the only passenger on board, explaining, “There was an elderly gentleman right down the front but he got off at the stop before in Rosyth. “I was near the back of the bus and the car crashed right into the bus doors – the bus was a write-off.

“Anyone at the front would have been hurt. With the amount of glass and debris, I dread to think what might have happened.

“The car registration plate landed right at my feet and the glass was all over the bus.” The bus driver was trapped in his cab and had to climb out the window, while Mrs Hilton was helped out by another motorist who stopped to help.

She continued, “The driver couldn’t get the cab to open because the engine was smashed – luckily there wasn’t a fire or he would have been trapped. He had a very lucky escape and was in a lot of shock.

“A gentleman stopped to help and I managed to climb out through a gap in the doors.

“I’ve got a sore neck and the driver had a bit of a sore back, but we were both checked over by ambulance staff. They suggested we go to A&E but we were both all right.” Mrs Hilton praised the emergency services and the bus driver, saying, “I was really impressed how fast the emergency services came out and they had it all cleared up in about 20 minutes.

“The bus driver did a fantastic job and is a credit to Stagecoach. He reacted quickly and did what he could to minimise the damage.” Police confirmed the accident caused traffic delays but the road remained open.

A spokeswoman for Stagecoach East Scotland said: “One of our vehicles operating on service 73 was involved in an incident with a car in Inverkeithing on Monday evening at around 5.30pm. There was one passenger on board as well as our driver, both suffering minor injuries for which an ambulance attended the scene. We are assisting the police fully with their investigation into this incident.”