Having set off on their routine morning commute last Monday morning, past the popular Tragumna Beach near Skibbereen, Rory's wife Celine, son Aaron and German exchange student Sid were forced to abandon their 2006 Opel Astra, when it was engulfed by a wave of water.

The family managed to escape to safety by scaling the adjoining embankment, and watched on as their car was swept nearly 10 metres along the roadway. Battered by relentless waves for over two hours the tide then receded and the car was left surrounded by debris.

Expecting the worst Rory visited the site to assess the damage only to discover that the car was completely dry inside, as were the contents of the boot which included school laptops and books! On closer inspection Rory was amazed to discover that both the engine and battery were also clean and in full working order, and he was able to drive the car away from the site once the surrounding debris had been removed. The only visual damage was the loss of the passenger door mirror cover.

Rory Jackson commented: "I had arranged to have the car towed away for insurance as soon as possible expecting the worst. When the Astra was finally accessible I inspected the car and was pleasantly shocked to discover that the car was completely dry inside and important valuables such as the laptop and school books were undamaged. I checked the engine and battery thinking that there would be severe damage. All was clean and looked ok apart from the debris in between the wheels and underneath. On turning the key it started immediately and I drove it back to my house!"

Opel Ireland's Managing Director, Dave Sheeran added: "Rory and his family's amazing story is testament to the durability and reliability offered by Opel cars. We are delighted that the family's ordeal had a happy conclusion - with help from their Opel Astra!"

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