A MAN who got his car trapped in a narrow pedestrian-only walkway leading to a pier in Co Kerry has been rescued after being trapped for 12 hours.
The car became wedged between walls about 200 feet above the sea at Dunquin, on a path leading to a ferry service for the Blasket Islands, off the Kerry coast.
Failing to pay heed to several signs warning motorists not to drive on the path, the man, who reportedly told ferry staff he had wished to "camp out" beside the pier, spent more than 12 hours in the Cork-registered vehicle before being discovered by members of the ferry crew yesterday morning.
A steep drop on either side of the car meant the man was unable to climb out of the windows.
The man, who had burnt out the clutch on his car, was helped out of the boot by crew members and police before the car was removed at midday.
Several ferry services were disrupted throughout the day as the operation to remove the man and his vehicle was underway.
It is understood that after being unable to drive further at around 9pm on Tuesday, the man did not call for help despite having a mobile phone.
Sibéal Ní Lubhaing, of Blasket Island Ferries, said staff had never seen a case where someone had driven that far down the path.
She told the BBC: "We were actually in awe of him, because there are couple of very sharp turns that you'd think a car could not navigate.
"There's also huge signs saying 'Don't drive' going down to the pier.
"When he saw the police uniforms, he seemed more reassured and we were able to get him out through the boot."
Ms Ní Lubhaing added: "It was fairly innocent, everyone makes mistakes... the main thing now is that he's safe. We're happy he's OK."
