“GUARDIAN angel” grandad Tony Gilbert has come forward as the driver who saved five men’s lives in a three-vehicle crash in north Swindon.

Good Samaritan Tony selflessly manoeuvred his silver Mercedes between a Ford Transit van and oncoming traffic on Thamesdown Drive on Tuesday to prevent the van being pushed onto the busy dual carriageway after it was hit by a silver Ford Focus Zetec.

The Bridlewood bricklayer’s quick-thinking helped to save the lives of the passengers caught up in the crash, including construction workers Jamie Meatheringham and Chris Neal, who launched an appeal to find the man who had helped them.

“I’m just glad the lads are okay, that’s the main thing,” said 67-year-old Tony.

“I did what anybody would do. You just act on instinct, I wasn’t even thinking about it, I just did it because I needed to stop them going into someone.”

Tony, who works for construction firm Future Stone Ltd, was on his way to Bath on Tuesday last week when he witnessed the two cars collide between the A419 junction and Thresher drive, near Aldi, leaving the Zetec engulfed in flames.

The father-of-three remained cool under pressure admitting it didn’t even cross his mind how serious the situation was.

He said: “The lights went to green and all of a sudden the van was coming towards me. I just turned the steering wheel.

“I knew it was going to hit me but I didn’t know how hard.

“I knew it was going to go into traffic so I just turned into it.

“I can’t explain why I did it. It was just instinct mixed with adrenaline.”

Heroic Tony then checked the passengers of the vehicles and helped get emergency services to them.

“The driver was just sitting by himself, I don’t think he knew what was going on and he looked to be in a lot of pain,” he said.

“I could see the guys in the van weren’t completely with it when they got out.

“One of them couldn’t speak and handed the phone to me to speak with emergency services.”

Eight passengers sustained injuries in the crash, which included severe bruising, whiplash, shattered shoulder cartilage and a fractured sternum.

Remarkably the grandfather of two still made it into work on time.

“It was early in the morning and I hadn’t woken up yet so maybe that’s why I was so relaxed,” he said.

“I don’t know why I did it, it’s something I did that anybody would do for anybody else.

“I’m just glad those lads are okay. As a father I understand, it doesn’t bear thinking about. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse,” he said.

Wiltshire Police are investigating the incident.