A former nurse may have saved the lives of young passengers in a car crash, after being woken by the noise and screams for help.

Surrey Comet:

Terrifying: The scene confronting Marion Thorley

Marion Thorley, 69, had completed a refresher first aid course at Holy Trinity Church, Claygate, five days before five people ended up vertically wedged in a car in the early hours of Monday, June 15.

She looked out of the window of her house in Aston Road, Claygate, just after 3am, but without her glasses on could not see the crash.

Mrs Thorley heard a girl screaming: "Help, someone please help me."

After making her way outside as quickly as she could, leaving her walking stick behind and calling for her neighbour to call the police, ambulance and fire service, she assessed the scene.

She said: "There was the young girl screaming her head off saying she was going to die. I reassured her that it was just a cut above her right eye and head wounds bleed a lot. Then I noticed a young man unconscious on the ground under the front door which was hanging off above him.

"He was breathing and had a pulse. There was another man trying to get out of the car who was bleeding from the head and very unstable. I supported the car door so he could get down, then he collapsed. I put him in the recovery position and asked one of the neighbours to get some blankets."

The two other men left in the car shouted to her they wanted to get out, but she told them to not move as the car could roll over. Mrs Thorley said the firefighters would arrive soon to reassure them.

By this time, three other households were involved in helping, and Mrs Thorley estimates emergency services arrived within about three minutes.

She stayed with the car and passengers until they had all been freed and taken to hospital.

She said: "I came inside and spoke to the police who came in with me as my legs were shaking at the time."

Surrey Roads Police Unit said the young male driver and some friends had been out at a party.

On the way home he lost control of the car, collided with a road sign and the car flipped on to the front bumper. An investigation is under way.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service and an air ambulance attended and two male passengers were taken to St George’s Hospital by road. One had head and upper leg injuries, the other had lower arm injuries.