'I am a very, very lucky man': Man involved in Storm Emma crash outside Northampton praises emergency teams who helped him

Vimal Mistry, who was rescued from his car on Welford Road on Friday, has thanked the crews that saved his life.

A car crash victim who was involved in a side-on collisionÂ as the Storm Emma hit NorthamptonÂ has thanked the firefighters and paramedics who saved his life.

Leicester man Vimal Mistry left his workplace at Briggs and Forrester engineering consultants in Northampton on Thursday at about 5pm just as the blizzard conditions hit their peak.

But his usual route home along Welford Road was impassable as cars struggled to make their way up the winding roads past Creaton.

It forced him to turn around and head back towards Northampton in the hope of joining the M1.

But, five miles into his way back, as he reached Spratton, he came into collision with another vehicle.

The next thing the 42-year-old remembers is a team of firefighters removing the front window from his car.

He said: "I remember the impact - there was nothing I could do.

"The next thing I remember, a paramedic was putting a cube in my nose.

"The fire and rescue putting a shield around my face and they were cutting me out of the car.

"I was unconscious for half an hour."

But as conditions on the A5199 were treacherous, Mr Mistry has revealed just how lucky was to receive speedy attention.

A paramedic, on his way to work at Northampton General Hospital, was waiting for the queue of cars behind him and came to his assistance.

Mr Mistry could have been left for much longer without medical attention.

"I am a very, very lucky man," he said. "From what people said to me, the people that are usually in that type of collision don't make it out alive."

Mr Mistry has paid tribute to the teams that helped to rescue him from the stricken car, a white Lexus he had bought only a week ago for around Â£20,000.

"They were absolutely fantastic," he said.

"They got to me so quick and they really eased my mind. They spoke to my wife and kept her updated as to what had happened.

"It's just one of those things - you don't really appreciate the emergency services until they do something for you."

Despite being bruised and bleeding, Mr Mistry escaped the collision with only minor injuries and was allowed to take a taxi home later that night.

The A5199 was closed for several hours on Thursday night during the storm.

It is also understood the driver of the second vehicle escaped with minor injuries.