A MOTORIST was cut from his wrecked Mercedes after it was battered in a side-on collision with a Supertram.
Witnesses heard rush-hour passengers screaming as the driver appeared to cross the tram's path at a traffic light controlled junction in Netherthorpe Road last night.
The car, which was travelling from Scotland Street along Meadow Street, was carrie
d 20 yards up the tracks before the tram driver was able to halt.
The Mercedes driver, a 38-year-old man from Hathersage in Derbyshire, suffered a badly fractured right shoulder.
Eyewitness Richard Somerset said: "The tram was coming up Netherthorpe Road into the city when the car crossed in front of its path.
"The tram hit the car quite violently and it was shunted up the tracks for about 20 yards.
"It was quite frantic at first. There were two or three fire engines, paramedics, and a lot of traffic tailing back right up to the Brook Hill roundabout.
"After about 30 minutes the emergency services managed to get him cut out of the car by taking the roof off, and paramedics were giving him a drip. I saw two people arriving at the scene in a very distressed state.
"After he was taken away there were a lot of officials from Supertram taking measurements and examining the scene. It was quite dramatic."
Supertram services were interrupted for more than two hours while fire crews cut the man from his vehicle and the scene was made safe.
Police said today they are investigating the cause of the accident.
