Edinburgh sisters speak of trauma as car 'on wrong side of road' smashes into them
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Sisters who were involved in a hit-and-run have said they 'can't believe' they walked away from the collision.
Frances Kelly and her sister Terry Miller left Edinburgh for a night away at a spa on Thursday, May 29. Only 10 minutes into their journey, on the A6094 between Rosewell and Howage, their red Renault Captur was hit by a white Ford Transit flat bed van that was 'on the wrong side of the road' at around 11am.
While waiting for emergency services to arrive, the van driver 'made off from the scene'. Frances, 69, admitted she still feels 'traumatised and fragile' after being hospitalised along with Terry.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, she added: "We were coming from Bonnyrigg, towards Roswell, and I was driving towards the right bend, it was a blind bend.
"I couldn't see what was round the corner, and I went down in gear and reduced by speed. As I was approaching the curve, I could see a truck on my side of the road.
"I looked to the left and saw there was a gap where there was an entrance to a field, so I veered in and saw there was a crash barrier. So I had to start moving back to the main road again.
"I just hoped I had enough space. The guy was facing me in the driver's seat, and I just thought 'right, how bad is this going to be? This is it'."
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The collision saw the truck scrape the drivers safe, with the airbags then released. Frances said she couldn't see anything, but could smell burning.
She continued: "I called out to Terry. I tried to open my door but couldn't. I tried to take my seat belt off, but couldn't get it off. I just had to calm myself down.
"When I got out, my sister and I just hugged each other for ages. We were just so lucky and we're so grateful, we couldn't believe it."
Frances and Terry were hospitalised with minor injuries. Recalling the incident, Terry, 69, added: "Frances said the road was bendy, so she was going to take it really easy.
"Thankfully we managed to pull in a bit before the collision, otherwise it would've been head on. Frances was really calm.We just couldn't believe it."
After the collision, the sisters said the truck driver claimed he was phoning the police. Frances, not believing him, phoned them herself.
A couple who were driving past then stopped and let the sisters sit in their car, while they waited for emergency services to arrive.
Terry added: "When the couple took us into their car, the woman - who was a doctor - went to see how the guy was. She came back and said he'd bolted.
"I think he ran over the fields, because he couldn't drive his van. Glass was coming out my ears, and it was in my bra - absolutely everywhere. It was quite traumatic, but it could've been so much worse."
Frances continued: "I got this feeling that he was going to take off, because he was walking away. I took some pictures and I got a picture of him beside his van actually walking away.
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"There was a lady and her husband and they pulled their car in, and she let us sit in the back of her car until the ambulance and then the police came. Then we were taken in the ambulance and taken to the hospital.
"He couldn't drive his van away because it was so damaged. The wheel was all turned down and the bolts were all off it. Otherwise, I think that guy would have just driven away, just kept going.
"I feel really traumatised and fragile. I do know that we are just so, so lucky and so grateful."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 11.15am on Thursday, 29 May, 2025, we received a report of a crash involved two vehicles on the A6094 Rosewell to Howage road.
"One of the drivers made off from the scene and enquiries are ongoing to trace him." Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 101, quoting incident 1162 of May 29.
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