Ebbw Vale boy, 12, prevents crash after mother collapses at the wheel in Herefordshire
Zac steered moving car to safety, avoiding high-speed collision on A40 in Herefordshire
A 12-year-old boy from Ebbw Vale took heroic action to prevent a high-speed crash on the A40 in Herefordshire after his mother collapsed at the wheel.
Zac and his mother Nicola were travelling at 60mph to a Christmas market in Warwickshire last December when Nicola became unwell.
She managed to slow the car onto a narrow verge before fainting, leaving the automatic gearbox in drive and her foot on the accelerator, causing the car to veer back onto the dual carriageway.
Quick-thinking Zac leaned across to grab the steering wheel, directing the car into the central reservation to stop it before turning off the engine and calling 999.
During the call, Zac told the emergency handler, "Basically I’m driving on a motorway and my mum just fainted, so I had to crash the car to stop."
Nicola was unconscious for around seven minutes, later found to have extremely low blood pressure. She is now awaiting further cardiology tests.
Nicola praised Zac's bravery, saying, “He literally saved our lives and who knows who else’s lives. It must have been really frightening for him."