4x4 motorist tows snow-stricken ambulance carrying kidney transplant patient to hospital - and then goes back to collect new organs

4x4 hero: Vaughan Crequer tows the ambulance carrying the kidney transplant patient to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath

By Daily Mail reporter, UK

A kidney transplant patient stranded in the snow was saved when a passing 4x4 motorist towed her ambulance to hospital.

But there was still a problem - the patient's new organs were in another ambulance also stuck in the blizzard.

Quick-thinking motorist Vaughan Crequer, 56, rushed back to the scene in his Nissan 4x4 and spotted the second emergency vehicle.

He towed the ambulance with the organs to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath in time for the operation.

Mr Crequer said he had helped rescue dozens of stranded motorists around his home in Crawley, West Sussex, since the cold spell struck.

He was helping one driver when he came across the ambulance stuck on the hill with its blue lights flashing.

'It was on the wrong side of the road and there were lots of people from other cars trying to push it,' Mr Crequer said.

'I spoke to the driver and he said it needed to get to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath so I said I'd help them.'

Mr Crequer said he first drove ahead to make sure the roads were passable before returning to tow the ambulance the last few miles to the hospital.

'Although they were very grateful, they said the operation may still not be able to go ahead as they didn't have the kidney,' he said.

'So I thought I might as well have a look for the ambulance that [the the organs were] in.'

Mr Crequer, who runs a car repair firm, said he soon came across another ambulance stranded in the snow with its blue lights flashing and towed it to the hospital as well.

He added: 'The whole thing started at about midnight and I was back home at 5am. I could only drive at about 15 miles an hour as the snow was so deep.

'I saw some snow ploughs but the snow was coming down so heavily it was covering everything up again as soon as they'd been.'

A South East Coast Ambulance spokesman said: 'We are very grateful to everyone who helped us in what were exceptional weather conditions.'

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