For the first time, a heroic lorry driver has been photographed taking evasive action to avoid a group of cyclists and writing off nearly £2 million worth of supercars.
Richard Kilburn, 61, was at the wheel of a nine-vehicle HGC transporter when it began to fish as it drove down a steep hill in a crosswind.
As the huge truck picked up speed and headed toward the cyclists, Richard pulled the wheel and made a knife – avoiding a potentially fatal crash, but writing off his load.
The wrecked cars included a £271,000 red Lamborghini Aventador and a £181,000 Aston Martin DB11, as well as two Ferraris, a BMW and a £170,000 Mercedes AMG.
A lorry driver for 12 years, Richard was taking the cars from Brands Hatch, Kent, to Goodwood in neighboring Sussex for an event when the incident happened on Wednesday night.
Richard Kilburn (pictured), 61, was at the wheel of an HGC transporter carrying nine luxury vehicles when it began to fish as it drove down a steep hill in a crosswind
The luxury supercars – including an Aston Martin and Lamborghini – overturned on a busy dual carriageway on the A20 near Farningham on Wednesday
Footage from the scene showed the transporter on its side with the badly damaged cars scattered on the ground on the A20 at Farningham.
Richard, who has worked for Everyman Racing Driving Experiences, told MailOnline: ‘I had just left Brands Hatch and was on my way to Goodwood when it all happened.
“It’s a hill and the weight of the transporter picks up some speed, so I just hit the brakes and try to keep the speed at 55kph as I go down.
“But it started to lurch and sway and then I saw the cyclists on the road and thought I should stop now and just dig.”
Essex’s Richard added: ‘Obviously the maneuver dislodged all the cars, but luckily no one was hurt and it could have been much worse.
“It weighed over 40 tons, so it would do a lot of damage, but the only person who got hurt was myself with some minor bruising, but I’m fine and back to work already.
“The whole thing looks worse than it is because of the value of the cars involved and it just crossed my mind what the boss would say, but insurance will pay for it.
“The most important thing is that no one was hurt.”
One car was rolled onto its roof after the catastrophic crash on the A20 in Farningham on Wednesday
Several luxury cars, including those from Mercedes, Aston Martin, BMW and Lamborghini, were seen on their sides in the middle of the road on the A20 in Farningham on Wednesday.
Kent police were called around 8pm on Wednesday after the transporter overturned on a section of the A20 near Farningham, Kent.
A source with Leicestershire car owners, Everyman – who delivers driving experiences – told MailOnline: ‘Richard is the hero in it all.
“He is a solid driver with years of experience behind the wheel and his quick thinking has avoided something that could have ended very differently and very badly.
“These things happen, but the most important thing is that no one was seriously hurt. The only damage was to the cars, which is nothing compared to someone getting hurt or killed.”
Officers were on the scene Wednesday evening and Richard tested negative on a breath test and was treated for minor injuries but was otherwise unharmed.
The source added: ‘Richard has been with the company for three years and has had his driver’s license for 12 years, so he is very reliable and knows what he is doing behind the wheel.
“He tested negative and other than some seat belt bruising, he was fine. The police have investigated, but there are no indications that he has done anything wrong.
‘If you drive those transporters and there is a side wind, they can swing a bit because of the weight and that happened to him.
“It got to a point where he hit the tipping point, and it passed, but he pulled over to the side of the road to avoid the cyclists in front.
“Had he misjudged, he would have ended up crushing them instead of scratching a few cars that now have to be written off.
“The insurance teams are looking into it now, but it will easily cost over a million to replace them, probably more.”
A witness named Matt Westy wrote on the company’s Facebook page, “I must say I think your driver was a very happy man after speaking to him at the scene. It could have been much worse.’
Kent Police said: ‘Kent Police were called at 7.57pm on Wednesday 23rd August with a report that a car transporter had overturned on the A20 near Farningham.
Officers arrived at the scene and the driver reported minor injuries. The road was closed while measures were taken to recover the vehicles.’
In a statement, the owners added, “Just another day in the life of Everyman Racing. But maybe we should wipe the dust off the T-cut.”