A hero lorry helped save the life of a motorist whose car plunged into a freezing water-filled ditch. <br /><br />Luke Wagner, 26, was driving his HGV when he saw a silver car skid off an icy road and plunge down a bank into a river.<br /><br />He brought his lorry to a stop and dash down the embankment and helped pull the shocked driver from the huge ditch - known locally as a drain.<br /><br />The incident at March, Cambs, was caught on his lorry's dashcam on Jan 10.<br /><br />Luke said: "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.<br /><br />"With the roads so icy it was obvious it had hit a patch of black ice and my heart stopped.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"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. <br /><br />"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."<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Luke, who was driving near March, Cambs at the time, added: "The water was so cold and we all risked getting hypothermia if we went in.<br /><br />"Fortunately we all managed to heave him out and by this time his car had sunk completely beneath the water.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />The group got the man onto the road where he was shaking from shock, dripping wet and suffering from cuts to the head. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Luke, who works for the Norfolk-based Anglian Plant, had also passed another car just before the incident which was on its roof in a ditch along the road.<br /><br />He had initially stopped to see if they needed help, and later found out it had been the man's daughter.<br /><br />While the motorist 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. <br /><br />A nearby Nissan Juke was also hit and spun around.<br /><br />Once again, the team rushed to pull a woman to safety and the emergency services soon arrived. <br /><br />Luke said after the incident: "That morning had been a disaster on the Fen roads.<br /><br />"The police told me they had been inundated with calls and I'm just glad everyone was able to walk away alive.<br /><br />"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."
