A MAN who was clinically dead for 40 minutes following an accident has congratulated his neighbour on winning a national award for saving his life.

Former health worker Jacqui Davis put her training to good effect to administer CPR after Jim Preston suffered a cardiac arrest and crashed his car into his house.

Mrs Davis, aged 53, continued to pump Mr Preston's chest even after there was no pulse and he had stopped breathing during the dramatic incident in Colin Road, Taunton.

Paramedics eventually arrived and shocked him five times before blue lighting him to Musgrove Park Hospital, where he spent the next six weeks recovering.

Mrs Davis, whose heroics have been recognised with a Royal Humane Society's life-saving award, said: "I heard an almighty bang after Jim reversed his car into the wall of his house, and when I shot out of my house he was sitting upright at the wheel with his eyes shut and his stepdaughter shouting, 'Dad'.

"Two other guys helped me swing his legs out of the car, drag him out and lay him on the ground so I could do CPR on him for about 20 minutes.

"I thought he'd gone, but I had to do something.

"It's the first time I've ever done CPR, but I used to work in patient transport for the ambulance service and all my training came back."

After being treated by paramedics at the scene, Mr Preston, 72, was rushed to Musgrove, where he was put in an induced coma after being revived and spent three weeks on a life support machine.

He is now back home after having a mini defibrillator fitted in his chest and thanks animal charity worker Mrs Davis for saving his life every time he sees her.

Speaking about the award for her intervention last July, Mrs Davis said: "I feel quite humble.

"I don't feel important - I did what I knew I had to do and I'm just glad it worked."

Somerset County Gazette:

Mr Preston said: "I owe that lass my life.

"Without Jacqui I wouldn't be here. She was brilliant.

"I don't remember anything about the incident."

His wife, Sandra, said: "Jim was gone and my daughter (Nicola Fellows) shouted at me to call an ambulance.

"Jacqui just kept administering CPR. She was fantastic.

"We're lucky to still have Jim after he was clinically dead for 40 minutes. I was expecting the worst."