A racehorse owner who was injured in a helicopter crash was carried to safety by a trainer before being helped by a jogger who happened to be passing by.
On Tuesday night, Dai Walters and Sam Thomas were among five people injured in the accident, which took place as they travelled back from a pheasant shoot in North Wales. In high winds and heavy rain, the air vehicle collided with a tree and fell near the village of Llanelidan in Ruthin.
Walters, 76, was reported to have suffered more serious injuries than the other passengers and was taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital where he continues to be monitored. And now it has emerged that Thomas, 38, who was released after being treated for minor injuries, carried Walters from the wreckage before a local resident administered CPR to the millionaire.
Sophie Vaughan-Evans, 29, the wife of the man who came to the aid of Walters, told MailOnline : " My husband was out jogging when they chopper crashed. One of the gamekeepers flagged him down and asked if he knew first aid.
"Luckily my husband was ex-forces so he knew what to do. The elderly trainer was unconscious and they were worried they could not find a pulse. My husband did CPR and brought him round. He was then talking so seemed to be alright."
She added that people were forced to run for cover as debris was sprayed from the crash, and said her husband has described the scene of "chaos" as panic set in. "Everyone was in shock and did not know what to do."
Walters, along with his son, is reportedly worth around £264 million and is the chairman of Ffos Las racecourse in Carmarthen in Wales. As well as race meetings, the venue has also hosted music concerts and other events.
He is also the owner of Hollies Stables just outside Cardiff while Thomas, who won the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Welsh Grand National as a jockey, works at the stables with him. A subsequent police statement confirmed emergency services had attended the scene.
"Officers attended alongside colleagues from Welsh Ambulance and North Wales Fire and Rescue as part of a joint emergency response," it read. "All the occupants have been accounted for, with four people having been taken to hospitals across the area. None of the injuries are thought to be life threatening or life changing at this time."
