This is the moment a driver recording street scenes on a film camera creates his own action movie scenes.

The camera – attached to a crane on top of an SUV – had been left at such an extreme angle that the movie equipment was hanging over the edge of the road.

But – video footage of the drama has revealed – the driver had not bargained for street lights lining the bridge in Shanghai, in central-eastern China.

As he drives towards one light, the camera smashes into the steel pole and comes crashing to the ground.

The driver – named in local media as Mr Xia, 43 – manages to stop the SUV but not before he smacks into another street light.

Afterwards in a second video, the shocked crew can be seen studying the now completely destroyed camera.

Xia, who fled without calling police, was later tracked down and summoned to police station, according to local media.

He was given a fine of CNY 1,500 (GBP 177) for fleeing after causing a road traffic accident, and another of CNY 200 (GBP 23) for obstructing driving safety.

The video of the accident later went viral all over social media, and some knowledgeable netizens allegedly estimated the damages to be worth millions.