A POSTMAN who saved the life of a man who was thrown across a road and into a wall by a car has been hailed a hero.

Tony Peet, 54, was getting dinner from a van in Reading Road when he saw the young man flung into a wall by St Paul’s Church on Friday, December 18.

Mr Peet, who lives in Frederick Place, said: "My wife, Tracy, and I went to the kebab van and as soon as we got there I heard a shout and I turned round.

"I didn't see the guy run across the road but I did see the impact.

"His body just flew across the road and his head hit the wall by the church.

"I ran across the road and found he had a huge gash in his head, he was unconscious, and was obviously bleeding heavily from the wound.

“I checked he was breathing, cleared his airway, and then applied pressure to his head using a scarf. After three or four minutes he came around but then went into shock.

"It was a lot easier to deal with him when he was conscious even though he was in shock.

"When the ambulance came they told me to carry on as they checked him over.

"I knew his name and had a chat with him.

"He wouldn't let them give him morphine but I said to him 'let them give you some morphine' and he let them do it."

The young man, believed to be in his 20s, was rushed to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where tests found he had broken his leg in six places but hadn’t fractured his skull.

The postman, who works for the Royal Mail in Wokingham, took a St John’s Ambulance First Aid course three months earlier.

Two days after the accident the young man’s father, who lives in France, phoned Tony to say the man was alive and well.

Tony said: "The training I’d had really helped me to keep calm. I didn’t panic and everyone who was there thanked me for what I did.

"I certainly didn’t feel like a hero. When his father rang me up I was relieved.

"Tom Brindley, the man who trained me, rang me up and said he was proud of me and well done.

"He reckons I saved the man's life but I don't agree with that, I think anyone would have done it.

"I really think more people should learn first aid – you never know when you may need it.

"What St. John's Ambulance do is test you on everything."

St John Ambulance’s regional training manager, Deborah Adwent, said: "I’d like to congratulate Tony on helping in what must have been a traumatic situation.

"We aim to give people the confidence and skills to provide first aid when the time comes. Tony did just that, so we’re proud of him and proud of Tom Brindley."