Driver tells of terror as thugs hurl brick at van

A DRIVER has told of his terror after a brick was dropped on his van from a flyover, smashing the window as he drove.

Painter and decorator Paul Klak, 39, was driving home from work when the attack happened. It was the second from the same bridge in as many days.

The missiles, thought to be bricks, were thrown from the bridge at Carberry Road, where it passes over the A1 close to Musselburgh, East Lothian.

Mr Klak, who lives in Ormiston, said the attack had terrified him, and it was just a stroke of luck that his 14-year-old daughter Lauren wasn't sitting in the passenger seat, where she would have been showered in broken glass.

He said: "I was driving home from work on the A1 and all of a sudden I just heard a bang. I wasn't really looking above me at the flyover, I was just thinking about getting home.

"Glass came flying in the side, it was lucky enough that my daughter's away on holiday with my mum and dad or I'd have just picked her up and she'd be sitting there.

"I just let go of my steering wheel for a second in shock. I was terrified. I didn't know what had happened.

"It didn't come in through the window, but it must have been a big brick, because it's also marked the side of the van and dented it."

Mr Klak escaped uninjured, but was left shaken by the incident, and said he was furious with the people who had thrown the brick. "I wouldn't like to say what I'd do if I got my hands on them," he said. "I don't know what they think they're doing. It could have been a couple of inches away and through the windscreen. I'm more nervous now - I always look up to make sure when I go under the flyover."

The attack on Mr Klak's van, which happened on July 12 between 4.45pm and 5pm, came after a similar attack in the same spot the previous day. A brick struck a car as it passed underneath the bridge, damaging the roof. The driver was uninjured.

A police spokesman said: "The potential consequences of such mindless acts of vandalism cannot be underestimated, and it is only by good fortune that the drivers of these vehicles weren't injured.

"We are stepping up our patrols in the area in a bid to identify those responsible, and we are warning anyone who engages in this kind of activity that their actions have the potential to cause serious injury, or worse.

"At the same time, we are appealing to anyone who has any information that can help us identify whoever is responsible for these two incidents to contact police on 0131-311 3131, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

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