A long-distance driver from Hitchin who helped two truckers after their lorries blew over in separate incidents just yards from each other said this week: I’m not a hero.

The Comet: Once Martin Hamilton had made sure the driver was safe he took a picture of a lorry blown over in high winds on the A1.Once Martin Hamilton had made sure the driver was safe he took a picture of a lorry blown over in high winds on the A1. (Image: Archant)

Martin Hamilton, 55, from Milestone Road, was on the A1 near the Torness power station in East Lothian when an HGV in front of him was blown onto its side by wides which had reached 100 miles per hour.

Dad of two Martin, who has been criss-crossing the UK for 35 years, narrowly avoided disaster as he took evasive action and hit the brakes.

He said: “If I had been two or three seconds further ahead I would be dead now, because I would have smashed into the corner of the toppled lorry.

“It would have gone straight through my cab and squashed me like a sardine. Thankfully those extra seconds saved my life.”

The Comet: Once Martin Hamilton had made sure the driver was safe he took a picture of a lorry blown over in high winds on the A1.Once Martin Hamilton had made sure the driver was safe he took a picture of a lorry blown over in high winds on the A1. (Image: Archant)

Martin then raced to see if he could help the driver of the stricken lorry.

He jumped on to the cab and somehow managed to pull the driver out.

He said: “I don’t know whether he was in shock but he had trouble getting out of his seatbelt.

“I told him: ‘Mate, you’ve got to get out before the cab goes up in flames’.

The Comet: Once Martin Hamilton had made sure the driver was safe he took a picture of a lorry blown over in high winds on the A1.Once Martin Hamilton had made sure the driver was safe he took a picture of a lorry blown over in high winds on the A1. (Image: Archant)

“He just kept saying he couldn’t find his phone which had lots of pictures of his family on it.

“I told him not to worry about that, the only thing he needed to do was get out. Thankfully I managed to get him out.”

But just as Martin was leading the man to safety, another lorry behind them was blown over, too.

Martin said: “I didn’t think twice. It like being in slow motion.

The Comet: Once Martin Hamilton had made sure the driver was safe he took a picture of a lorry being righted after being blown over in high winds on the A1.Once Martin Hamilton had made sure the driver was safe he took a picture of a lorry being righted after being blown over in high winds on the A1. (Image: Archant)

“When the second lorry blew over it made an almighty crash so I ran about 100 yards to that HGV to see if the driver was ok. I think he was in shock too but I managed to get him out.”

The emergency services then arrived and shut the road until mid-afternoon.

Both ambulance and fire brigade teams praised the Hitchin trucker for his actions.

But modest Martin, who drives for Origin Global in High Wycombe, said: “I’m not a hero. Anyone would have done what I did. I’m just glad the drivers were ok.”