"I'm no hero - I was just doing my job"

One of the reasons that I love being an AA Patrol is that no working day is exactly the same. In fact, situations out on the road can change in minutes, if not seconds – so you have to be able to react very quickly. I experienced one such incident just a few weeks ago.

I live in Hassocks, Sussex which is very near to Brighton where I'm based. There are some very busy roads in the area including the A23 to London and the A27, which goes round the outskirts of Brighton.

One Monday morning in October, I was heading towards the Shoreham bypass on the A27 when I saw this huge wall of smoke billowing from a van parked on the grass verge just off the hard shoulder. It was spreading across the road and was so thick that visibility was virtually nil – making it very dangerous for other drivers.

Anyway, thanks to my 26 years experience as an AA Patrol, I knew immediately what was wrong with the van – turbo seal failure. This meant that the engine speed was uncontrolled and was running on its own oil. If it isn't stopped, the engine could blow itself to bits. And you can't just turn the engine off – you have to stall it.

I jumped out of my own van and ran towards it. I could hear the screaming, so I grabbed the keys off the driver and got in the van to stop it. It was all done instinctively really and to be honest I can't remember all that much about it. To be honest, I was just doing my job and what I have been trained for.

Phil Robinson, AA Patrol

Do you think Phil is a hero? Click here and judge for yourself.