Stand-up Adam Ethan Crow says he averted a serious accident at the Edinburgh Fringe yesterday – after spotting a runaway car rolling down the hill.

The comic had to act when he spotted a blue Passat moving slowly into traffic as he came out of the Pleasance last night. The driver had left the handbrake off, but locked the door.

Crow – who said his actions were ‘real Superman stuff’ – explained: ‘It built up a bit of speed, heading towards the crowd outside the Pleasance. I got in front of the car and tried to stop it and I began calling others to help.

‘Some folks came over and helped me. But had I not got to it in the nick of time it would surely, because of the hill, built up one hell of a pace and hit the queuing people.’

Crow, who is performing his show Ashton Kutcher’s Dead Girlfriends in the Free Festival, said he hurt his back in the incident, which happened at about 6.30pm.