A hero ex-soldier parked his lorry across a motorway to protect a fellow motorist who suffered a heart attack before giving him CPR to save his life.
Kirk Mount, 35, parked his truck across the M6 Toll in Staffordshire to shield the Range Rover that had stopped in the middle lane on 31 January.
He then pulled the stricken man from his motor and started CPR on the driver until help arrived and medics rushed him to hospital.
Kirk, who has been hailed a hero for his actions, said his military training “kicked in” when he saw what was happening.
The drama unfolded as the married father-of-two and former soldier was travelling on the southbound carriageway of the M6 toll road near Burntwood, Staffs.
During the journey, he came across a stationary Range Rover in the middle lane while driving his fully laden 44-tonne lorry.
He initially manoeuvred his truck near to the car and gestured to the motorist to move to the hard shoulder.
But the vehicle then suddenly moved off, then crashed into the central reservation and rolled backwards, before coming to a halt.
Kirk, who served in the Royal Artillery for seven years, positioned his lorry across all three lanes to slow down oncoming traffic and jumped from his cab to investigate.
A couple in another car also stopped and the trio saw that the Range Rover driver appeared to be suffering a medical episode.
The doors were locked, so Kirk and the others smashed a window and then managed to open the driver’s side.
Kirk found the man didn’t have a pulse and was not breathing, so he pulled him from the vehicle, lay him on the ground and started CPR.
Luckily a medical professional saw what was going on and had a defibrillator with him, which he used to assist in the life-saving drama.
By the time the ambulance arrived, the man had a pulse and was breathing again.
He is understood to have suffered a heart attack and is expected to make a full recovery.
Kirk, form Burnley, Lancs., said: “It was a combined effort by several of us to save this man’s life. It’s really nice to hear he is recovering. It could have had such a different, tragic outcome.
“My military training kicked in when I saw what was happening.
“My first thought was to position my lorry to protect the driver and others approaching, to prevent anyone hitting his vehicle and causing further incidents.
“His car was in a very dangerous position.
“I was a bit shaken by it all, but glad to be able to help.”
Kirk’s boss Mark Thompson was full of praise for his actions.
Mark said: “What Kirk did was amazing. We had a call from the M6 toll team explaining they wanted to thank him too, as he was their hero.
“We’re very proud of Kirk. It was a distressing and unpleasant incident, but Kirk kept his cool and used his military training to help ensure a happy outcome.
“We wish the motorist involved all the best.”
James Hodson, M6 toll Chief Operating Officer, said: “First of all, we would like to pass on our thoughts and best wishes to the driver involved in the medical emergency on the M6toll road.
“The M6toll team would also like to praise the heroic actions of Kirk Mount, the Mark Thompson Transport HGV driver, who helped him at the scene.
“Our M6toll operations team were alerted to what was taking place and, working in coordination with the emergency services, the M6toll incident support unit was dispatched to the scene to provide assistance.
“As a result of the swift actions of all involved, the necessary medical assistance was provided, and the affected driver was taken to hospital to receive further treatment.
“We again give thanks to everyone involved, including our operations team, in their efforts on the day and we wish the driver involved in the medical emergency a full recovery.”