Four people are “lucky to be alive” after their vehicle left the road, hit a sign and flipped over in a night-time car crash near Dorchester. 

The incident happened on the West Stafford bypass on Tuesday night and involved a blue Subaru Impreza.

Emergency services attended the scene, but despite the car overturning and being left in a battered state no-one was seriously injured in the crash.

A spokesman for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to reports of a car fire at 10.42pm. 

They added: “We received a call to a vehicle fire following a road traffic collision.

“A crew from Dorchester attended and found that a vehicle had rolled over. There were no persons trapped and no fire, but the fire crew made the scene safe. 

“Four casualties were treated for minor injuries by the ambulance service and we left the scene at 11.10pm.”

It is understood that the four casualties were the car’s driver and passengers.

Two ambulances from South Western Ambulance Services attended the scene along with a rapid response vehicle and the car’s driver was taken to Dorset County Hospital for treatment.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said they were called to reports of a car crash at 10.37pm.

Dorset Police were also called to the scene and closed a section of the road after the incident. 

A police spokesman said: “We were called to a report of a single vehicle collision. The vehicle had left the road and was in collision with a sign post. I believe the vehicle then rolled over.”

An image of the car immediately after the crash shows the extent of the damage, with a number of dents clearly visible and parts of the car’s bumper missing.

Alex Solly, whose niece was involved in the crash, said the incident could have been life-threatening. He added: “My niece was in the car as a passenger and they are all lucky to be alive, I helped recover the car.”

Two cars crashed on the West Stafford bypass yesterday afternoon. 

A Honda Jazz, registered to a man from Dorchester, and a black VW Golf, also registered to a man from Dorchester, collided shortly before 3.30pm. Police said no one had been injured.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: “We were called at 3.23pm to reports of a two-vehicle road traffic collision in the Crossways direction of the bypass.

“Officers attended the scene to deal with the vehicles.”