Ex-soldier uses lorry and CPR to help save stricken M6 driver
Kinaxia Logistics A former soldier who parked his lorry across a motorway to protect a motorist who suffered a heart attack while driving has said his training "kicked in" when he saw what had happened.
Kirk Mount, 35, parked his truck across the M6 Toll in Staffordshire to shield a Range Rover that had stopped in the middle lane on 31 January.
Mr Mount, from Burnley, then started CPR on the driver until help arrived.
He said he was a "bit shaken by it all", but glad he could help.
Mr Mount, a married father-of-two who served in the Royal Artillery for seven years, was driving a 44-tonne lorry when he came across the Range Rover in the middle lane of the motorway near Burntwood.
'A combined effort'
He said he thought it had broken down and pulled alongside to gesture to the driver to move to the hard shoulder.
However, the car suddenly moved off and crashed into the central reservation.
Mr Mount said he positioned his lorry across all three lanes to stop traffic and went to investigate with a couple who had stopped to help.
GoogleThey found the driver was unresponsive, so smashed a window to get his door open, and took him out, with Mr Mount starting CPR.
A passing medic, who had a defibrillator, then stopped, before an ambulance arrived to take the man to hospital.
He is understood to have suffered a heart attack, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Mr Mount said it had been "a combined effort... to save this man's life".
"My military training kicked in when I saw what was happening," he said.
"My first thought was to position my lorry to protect the driver and... prevent anyone hitting his vehicle [as] his car was in a very dangerous position."
"I was a bit shaken by it all, but glad to be able to help."
He said it was "really nice to hear" the man was recovering, adding: "It could have had such a different, tragic outcome."
Mark Thompson, who employs Mr Mount at Mark Thompson Transport in Warrington, said what he did was "amazing".
"It was a distressing and unpleasant incident, but Kirk kept his cool and used his military training to help ensure a happy outcome," he added.
