SECONDS before their broken down car was crushed in a motorway pile-up, a young child and his grandmother were pulled free by a brave trucker.

Reuben Boyd, 57, then rushed back to the wreck on the hard shoulder as another car smashed into the second vehicle.

As he dragged one unconscious driver to safety he realised petrol was pouring from one of the cars in the crash and ran back a third time to free the last driver.

The trucker, who works for Roadferry in Leyland, received a police commendation for bravery and will discover this week whether he has won the Heroic Truck Driver of the Year award.

He was travelling back from Leeds on the M621 when he spotted the Volvo parked in the fast lane.

Reuben, of Rosewood Avenue, Higher Walton, said: "I saw the driver walking on the hard shoulder and told him he couldn't leave his car in the fast lane because it was dangerous. He got in the cab and I rang the police. I looked across at the car and suddenly noticed a little boy in the back seat reading a comic and his grandmother in the front.

"I couldn't believe it. I put the phone down, jumped out of the cab, dodging cars all the way, then made them get out quickly.

"Just then a Peugeot went straight into the back at 70mph followed by a Mitsubishi."

He ran back across to help the Peugeot driver. Reuben said: "He was unconscious and petrol was gushing from the car - I was paddling about in it."

Then he escorted passengers from the Mitsubishi to the hard shoulder where emergency services had arrived. Out of all 12 people involved in the accident only one was injured - a girl had broken her wrist.

Days later he received a letter of thanks from the family in the Volvo who had been on a trip from Cleveland.

Then Mr Boyd's son, Mark, gave him his biggest surprise - he nominated Reuben for a bravery award and landed him in the finals.

Ever the modest hero, Reuben said: "I only did what anyone else would've done when they have second to make a decision."

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