A FATHER and son who helped save a man from a car that had become trapped in a water-filled ditch have been praised by police.

A FATHER and son who helped save a man from a car that had become trapped in a water-filled ditch have been praised by police.

Duncan McKenzie and his son Iain were on their way home to Isleham along Prickwillow Road at about 6pm Monday when they spotted a car upside down in a ditch with its headlights on.

The pair were quick to pull over and investigate and were surprised to find cries for help coming from the driver’s seat.

The driver, who was in his 20s, was not seriously injured but could not get out of the car due to the water pressure on the vehicle’s doors.

Sixty-four-year-old Duncan, a building contractor, told the Ely Standard: “He couldn’t get out of the car and his phone wouldn’t work down in the ditch so he was in a bit of a state when we found him. If the water had stopped his lights working I don’t think anyone would have found him that night.

“It was actually a bit of luck that we found him because we didn’t go straight home from work like we normally do, we stopped off to look at a job on the way.

“When we saw the lights coming from the ditch we knew something wasn’t quite right and I know how dangerous that road can be because there are no real warning signs.”

Realising the danger to the man, Duncan and son Iain, 37, waded into the waist-high water to inspect the vehicle before returning to get a wheel brace from their own car to smash the stricken vehicle’s rear window. They were then able to get into the vehicle and dragged the driver to safety.

“We managed to pull him out and I had some spare work clothes in the van so he changed into those and warmed up a bit, said Duncan.

“It was very cold and very dark but we weren’t too worried about ourselves we just wanted to make sure he was ok and waited with him while the ambulance came.”

Chief Inspector Alan Savill said: “The driver of the vehicle only suffered a minor injury but we could have been dealing with a fatal road collision if it had not been for the quick and brave actions of this father and son.

“They were exceptionally vigilant in noticing the vehicle in the first place and then put themselves at risk by wading waist deep into the very cold water and dragging the crash victim to safety. I would like to thank them for their life-saving actions.”