A HERO who saved a driver from certain death as a fireball engulfed his car has spoken of the dramatic rescue.

Sailor Peter McCaffery was travelling home from a fourmonth tour of duty off the coast of Libya on Wednesday when he came across the wreckage of the crash on the A68 at Burtree, near Darlington.

“My first thought was that we had to get them out,” said the 50-year-old.

“I didn’t think about the danger, I just did what I had to do to help another human being.”

The Royal Auxiliary Fleet sailor checked over Andrew Basham, 32, at the scene of the accident to establish if he had any serious injuries before guiding him to safety.

He then gave the casualty his jacket before rushing back to help another driver.

Mr McCaffery, father of Shannon, 11, and David, five, said: “I’ve been out in Libya for four months supporting the Royal Navy.

“My ship had docked in Scotland earlier that day and I was driving to West Auckland to see for the first time the house I’ve had built.

“The first guy was sitting when I got to the car. I checked him and he was able to walk.

“When we got him away, I went back to see the second man, who was in so much pain he couldn’t move.

“The paramedics arrived and I helped them run the stretcher down to where he was and get him out of there.”

Crash survivor Mr Basham, from Shildon, County Durham, escaped from his car seconds before it was engulfed in flames.

Mr Basham, an office worker, suffered a fractured coccyx in the head-on collision. He said he did not realised the extent of the fire until he saw the shocking photographs of the scene.

He had been travelling to work to start a nightshift when he lost control of his Renault Clio. The hatchback crossed the central reservation and collided with a Citroen C3, driven by a 60-yearold man from Toft Hill, Bishop Auckland.

Both drivers were taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital by ambulance. The Citroen driver suffered a fractured spine, breast bone and elbow.

Police would still like to hear from the lorry driver, thought to be called Chris, who helped carry Mr Basham to safety.