A bridge too far: Dutch car driver spectacularly fails to jump bridge and ends up in river

A video has been released showing the moment a car driver in the Netherlands spectacularly failed to jump across an open bridge, crashing into the river below.

The CCTV footage shows the impatient motorist attempt to cross the bascule bridge while it is still closing. Misjudging the five-metre gap, the 56-year-old male driver's silver station wagon instead smashes straight into the closing bridge, before plummeting into the watery depths below.

Amazingly the man survived the initial crash uninjured, but broke some ribs and punctured a lung while escaping his car and swimming to the surface.

After making it to dry land, he was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital. Emergency crews were then called out to pull his vehicle from the river.

Local police claim the driver passed underneath a security barrier in order to make the jump.