A car crash victim hailed four passers-by as heroes after they helped her out of her smoking car.

Emma Burns, 36, of Wedgwood Road, Flimby, was driving to Maryport on Monday morning when her car was in collision with another vehicle at the junction of Hutton Place and the A596.

Mark McIntosh, 43, of Maryport, brother Michael, 39, of Flimby, and Laura Morgan, 31, and wife Vicky, 30, of Furness Road, Workington, went to the motorists’ rescue before emergency services arrived at the scene.

Emma, who was left with a fractured sternum, said: “They are absolute heroes, they were very brave.

“I can’t remember a lot. I remember slamming on my brakes, everything went in slow motion. I had some little hearts hanging from the rear-view mirror and I just saw them fly past me and lots of smoke.

“The amount of people who just drove past is disgusting.”

The other car involved in the crash, which was driven by a man, overturned and landed on its roof. Laura bravely smashed the window of the car and helped the man to get out.

She said: “As soon as I drove passed and saw the cars I jumped out of my car. My wife went to help Emma and put her on the kerb as her car was smoking.

“I went to the other car which was on its roof and kicked the window. The man had ended up in the boot and I dragged him out with help from Mark and Michael.

“There were loads of cars just driving past. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“But for me it was instinct, between fight or flight I chose fight. I know you’re not supposed to move injured people but the car was smoking and I wasn’t going to take the chance of it blowing up.

“When I went home I was sick because of the shock but I felt really proud of myself.

“We have a three-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl and they said I was like superhero the Incredible Hulk.”

Mark said: “It was an instinct reaction to stop and help. There could have been children in the car. Me and my brother have done first aid training at work, we work for the Environment Agency. I put my jacket round the man’s shoulders to keep him warm until the ambulance arrived.

“The man was very disorientated. After we helped the man out of the car he shook my hand and thanked me.”

The ambulance service confirmed both casualties were taken to West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven.

Emma, who has an 18-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter, was told by doctors that it will take her three months to recover from her injury.

Laura added: “The best thing is that we made new friends from this experience.”