A mother and daughter who endured a terrifying wait for an ambulance after their car swerved off a country lane and into an embankment were rescued after a 15-year-old boy found them - using Snapchat
Gemma Fairweather and her seven-year-old daughter, Martha, were left stuck in the embankment on Lowestoft Road near Blundeston on Sunday, after veering off the road just before 10pm.
The dramatic incident saw the stranded car hidden from passing drivers. with 999 crews unable to find them during a frantic 20-minute search.
Ms Fairweather contacted her boyfriend, Graham Potts, who lives in Lowestoft, to call the emergency services, but because the ditch was dark and they were down low - no one could find them.
That was when Mr Potts's son, Sam, used his knowledge of messaging app, Snapchat, to come to the rescue.
Sam used the app's geo-location tool, Snap Map, to find Ms Fairweather and alert the emergency responders.
Ms Fairweather said: 'They couldn't find us, it was my boyfriend's son who found us on Snapchat - everybody kept driving past us because it was so dark.
'It was scary - but if we had moved that could have been a lot worse,' she said.
The pair were driving from Lowestoft to their home in Wymondham at the time.
'I know it sounds strange, but I like taking the back road home so I can drive slowly to save on petrol.
'A car was coming towards us so I dipped my headlights, and on that bend there is no sign to say there is a corner,' Ms Fairweather said.
According to Ms Fairweather, there is also no barrier on the road and it was 'quite a slippery night'.
The 38-year-old drove off Lowesoft Road and tumbled down the side of the embankment.
'It was a great concern because my daughter was in the car, the window was smashed and my daughter's door was jammed - so we just didn't move,' she said.
Ms Fairweather warned motorists to be aware the conditions on the back road 'might not be okay'.
'The emergency services were outstanding - the police, ambulance and fire service all came very quickly,' she said.
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