Iceland truck driver saves life of diabetic motorist on M62 after he fell ill

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Diabetes sufferer Tom Lofus became stuck in traffic jam on M62 yesterday
Truck driver Vince Brown came to a stop and noticed Mr Lofus in distress
Mr Brown gave him cereal bars, Cadbury Brunch bar and bottles of water
Ground worker Mr Lofus said Mr Brown's actions could have saved his life

Published: 09:30 EST, 25 June 2015 | Updated: 09:57 EST, 25 June 2015

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An Iceland truck driver has been hailed as a 'hero' after he saved the life of a diabetic motorist who suffered an attack in standstill traffic.

Vince Brown had come to a stop on the M62 yesterday afternoon when he noticed a man in the car next to him was struggling in the heat.

Ground worker Tom Lofus has diabetes but had left home without his medication and was becoming increasingly ill when Mr Brown, 62, came over and offered him all the food and drink in his cab.

Mr Lofus, 25, said he believes Mr Brown's selfless actions could have saved his life.

Hero: Iceland truck driver Vince Brown, pictured, helped a diabetic man suffering an attack in the car next to him in standstill traffic yesterday afternoon. Tom Lofus said Mr Brown's actions could have saved his life

Mr Brown has become an internet sensation after Mr Lofus' co-worker Kelvin Bolam, who was in the car at the time, uploaded a post about his good deed to Facebook.

Mr Bolam said Mr Brown proved there are 'still lots of good people out there will to do things for people even if they don't know them'.

'We were stuck in traffic and there was no way any help was coming. We had thought about calling 999 but we knew no one could get through the deadlock in time,' he said.

'We owe Vince a huge debt of gratitude, what he did was priceless and he did it without a second thought. We can't thank him enough.

'It might seem like only a small thing but people are reluctant to help strangers out now.'

Mr Lofus and Mr Bolam were driving their van back from a job in Liverpool when Mr Lofus began feeling ill.

'Usually Tom has his medication with him but we'd left in such a rush he had forgotten it,' said Mr Bolam. 'Then the heat of the day had taken its toll on him too and was making it worse.

We owe Vince a huge debt of gratitude, what he did was priceless and he did it without a second thought. We can't thank him enough. It might seem like only a small thing but people are reluctant to help strangers out now

'We thought if we got him home he would be fine but once we were stuck in traffic he really took a funny turn and we knew it was serious.'

Mr Brown had been stuck on the stretch of road for two hours when he spotted Mr Lofus in distress.

Since the traffic was at a standstill, he got out of his van to see if he could help.

He offered Mr Lofus two cereal bars and a Cadbury's Brunch chocolate bar that he had brought along for himself. Moments later, he returned and gave Mr Lofus three bottles of water.

Mr Bolam, who lives in Bury, Greater Manchester, said: 'What impressed us most is that Vince wasn't looking for praise or thanks, he just did it out of the goodness of his heart.

'He is obviously just the kind of guy who is happy to help out where he can - and we really needed it in this instance, or who knows what might have happened to Tom.'

In recognition of Mr Brown's kindness, Mr Bolam uploaded a post about his actions to Facebook. It has now been shared more than 21,000 times and has more than 45,000 'likes'.

Mr Brown said: 'I've been completely overwhelmed by the response. I don't consider it a big act of kindness, it's just something I would do for anyone really.

Internet sensation: In recognition of Mr Brown's kindness, Mr Bolam uploaded a post about his actions to Facebook. It has now been shared more than 21,000 times and has more than 45,000 'likes'

'I have stopped my van before when I've seen people broken down and offered them a drink or an apple and so on in case they have been stranded a while.

'I think it's important to offer help when you can.'

The driver, who recently celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary, has worked for DHL driving exclusively for Iceland for 15 years.

Nick Canning, Joint Managing Director at Iceland said: 'We pride ourselves on providing an excellent service - wherever we are!

'And this is exactly the kind of upstanding behaviour we encourage from any member of the Iceland family. We want to congratulate Vince for being such a hero.'

After seeing the post online, a number of social media users shared their memories of Mr Brown being kind and helping them.

Julie Williams said: 'Vince is a lovely man, l remember him from when l worked at Iceland, and this doesn't surprise me.'

Jody Bate said: 'He's a dude. Always make him a hot drink when he calls at our store and he's always ready to chat and willing to help. Good on ya Vince.'

Sirah Younis said: 'I've only met this driver a couple of times when he delivered to our store and he was really nice! Well done to him!'

Paul Bayliss said: 'Vince is a true hero, his act of kindness restorers our faith in todays society. He is a credit and shines as an exampled to all of us that there are kind people out there. Vince we salute you and wish you many years of happiness as you deserve the best in life.'

Gaynor Longmire said: 'Vince is a great fella, and it always a pleasure to see him when he delivers to our shop...a true gentleman with a heart of gold.'