A Fenland hero has recounted the moment he leapt to the rescue of a driver who had skidded off an icy road and crashed into a freezing river.
Luke Wagner, 26, was driving his lorry along Upwell Road in March around 8am on Wednesday when the astonishing incident happened.
The heavy goods operative had just witnessed a car skid out of control further up the road when he saw something that made him slam on the brakes.
"I was driving along when I saw a silver car approaching from the opposite side of the road before it suddenly jolted and swerved in front of me, hitting the bank and flying into the river," he said.
"With the roads so icy it was obvious it had hit a patch of black ice and my heart stopped.
"So I brought the truck to a stop as quickly as I could and rushed out to the bank where the car was rapidly sinking.
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"But before I could jump in, the driver popped out of the water and I shouted to him to ask if anyone else was inside.
"He was in a daze but eventually said no and I asked if he could swim to which he said yes. I climbed down the bank anyway and reached out to him."
At this point, several others had turned up at the scene and gathered to help, with one providing a rope to throw down to the man.
Luke added: "The water was so cold and we all risked getting hypothermia if we went in.
"Fortunately we all managed to heave him out and by this time his car had sunk completely beneath the water."
"We later found out that his window had smashed when the car impacted the water and I think he was incredibly lucky that happened otherwise he would've had a much harder time getting out."
The group got the man onto the road where he was shaking from shock, dripping wet and suffering from cuts to the head.
As they waited for an ambulance to arrive, they covered him in dry clothing and put him in a warm van to raise his temperature.
While the man was being cared for, another approaching car hit a patch of black ice and skidded out of control, crashing into a Mini belonging to one of the helpers.
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A nearby Nissan Juke was also hit and spun around, ending up in the same dyke where the man had just been rescued from.
Once again, the team rushed to pull a woman to safety and the emergency services soon arrived.
Luke said after the incident: "That morning had been a disaster on the fen roads.
The police told me they had been inundated with calls and I'm just glad everyone was able to walk away alive.
"I think it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time and being an HGV driver, we have a professional duty of care on the road."
Luke's actions earned him rounds of applause and support on Linkedin where Luke's boss, Joe Paterson of Rackheath-based Anglian Plant, had shared the video.
Joe said: "Everyone in the company is very proud of Luke and his heroic actions.
It's so pleasing to see the praise and recognition he is receiving, it's well-deserved.
"Luke has always been an asset to the business and undoubtedly more so now."
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