A HERO horse trainer rescued a multi-millionaire owner from their helicopter wreckage before an ex-Forces passerby gave vital CPR.
Welsh Grand National-winning trainer Sam Thomas, 38, was one of five people involved in a horrific chopper crash on Tuesday evening.
The helicopter lies on its side having crashed to earth just minutes after taking off amid high winds and rain
Much-loved multi-millionaire owner Walters is said to be conscious and talking to family in hospital after his horrific helicopter crash
Heroic trainer Thomas is said to have helped pull Walters out of the wreckage
Dai Walters, 76, who is thought to be worth around £264million, remains in hospital with serious injuries after the devastating crash in north Wales.
But details have emerged indicating the key roles former jockey Thomas and a passerby gave in rushing quickly to his aid.
Walters, Thomas and three others came down just minutes after taking off amid high winds and rain after being on a pheasant shoot.
The chopper was pictured lying on its side in dense woodland in Llanelidan, Denbighshire.
One horrified witness said the sight of the helicopter hurtling through the air was ‘like a movie’.
The Daily Mail report Thomas, who won the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup as a jockey, frantically helped pull Walters from the wreckage.
A ‘huge’ emergency response rushed to the area but a male runner who happened to be in the area was the first to attend to Walters.
Sophie Vaughan-Evans, 29, told the Mail: “My husband was out jogging when the 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 man was unconscious and my husband did CPR and brought him round.
‘IT WAS CHAOS’
“He was then talking so seemed to be all right.
“But my husband said it was chaos. Everyone was in shock and did not know what to do.”
Walters, who made his vast fortune through his Walters Group plant machinery, is said to be conscious and talking to family in Glan Clwyd hospital near Rhyl.
Phil Bell, boss at Ffos Las, the Carmarthenshire racecourse Walters ploughed £25m into to make a success, said: “Dai is conscious and has been speaking to his family.
“He’s undergoing some further tests in hospital on his injuries.”
Thomas sustained minor injuries and was allowed to return to his Cardiff base after being discharged from hospital.
Witness Huw Howatson said: “It was horrible, I watched it happen and I was filming the helicopter.
“I could see it was in trouble and it hit some trees and I had to get out the way.
WALTERS CONSCIOUS IN HOSPITAL
“A piece of propeller came away. We had to scarper because there was lots of debris, it was just flying everywhere – it was like a movie.”
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch confirmed a probe into the incident had been launched.
A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called shortly before 5.30pm last night, Tuesday 1 November, to reports of a helicopter crash in woodland near Llanelidan, Ruthin.
“We sent a paramedic in a rapid response car and three emergency ambulances to the scene, where crews were also supported by Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service colleagues and a duty operations manager.
“Two patients were taken to Glan Clwyd Hospital.”
