Crash victim praises Yate man's 'incredible bravery'

The driver who was rescued by a Yate man after her car skidded off a bridge and into a freezing river has praised his ''incredible bravery''.

Bozena Krupka, aged 44, said Paul Wiltshire's selfless actions were ''indescribably amazing''.

As reported by the Bristol Post yesterday, Mr Wiltshire, of Tyndale Avenue, Yate, leapt into the raging torrent after spotting the crumpled wreckage of a car floating on its roof.

The father-of-three, wearing just a t-shirt and jeans, jumped off the bridge into the icy water and said he ‘‘waded like a madman” towards the sinking vehicle.

The 45-year-old managed to reach Mrs Krupka, who was tapping and ‘‘clawing desperately‘’ on the window for help before smashing one of the windows and grabbing her hand until a police officer arrived and dived in to join the rescue.

The pair finally freed Mrs Krupka, a chef who works at Grist Group in Devizes, to safety.

She was rushed to the Royal United Hospital in Bath by ambulance and has since made a complete recovery.

The Polish-born mother-of-two, who lives with husband Jurzy in West Lavington, Wiltshire, said: “I am eternally grateful to Paul for what he did for me that day.

“I would have probably died if it wasn't for his incredible bravery, which was indescribably amazing given the dangers he faced.

“I'd also like to thank Pc Tom Kinderman for his courage and help with the rescue effort.”

Mrs Krupka was driving her boss Nigel Grist’s Jaguar S-Type car at the time of the accident.

Mr Grist said: “Bozena was thankfully able to return to work on Monday and we are all grateful to those who helped save her.

“The Jaguar was in a rather worse condition.”