Mayor reunited with cab hero after fall

Taxi driver Martin Jones (right) rescued the mayor of Oldham, Cllr Derek Heffernan after a fall recently.

THE Mayor of Oldham has been reunited with the taxi driver who came to his aid after he fell and suffered a broken collar bone.

Councillor Derek Heffernan fell near the junction of Huddersfield Road and Heywood Avenue in Austerlands on November 5, resulting in cuts and bruising to his face, head, arm and legs.

Luckily, County Cars taxi driver Martin Jones spotted the Mayor lying in the road as he drove past and jumped into action to help.

Martin, 55, from Greenfield, said: "I saw him lying in the road and he looked to be in a bad way.

"There was a lot of blood and he was freezing cold.

"I had no idea who he was, I just saw an elderly gentleman in need of help.

"It's a sorry world if you can't stop to help someone who has fallen and injured themselves."

After helping the Mayor to his feet and into his taxi, Martin asked if he could take him to the hospital to get someone to check on his injuries.

Martin, a taxi driver for 11 years, continued: "He said no and told me he just wanted to go home so that is what I did.

"He said he had someone to look after him there so I dropped him off at his home and made sure he was OK before leaving.

"I couldn't stop worrying about him all weekend but I'm glad he's ok now."

Thankful Cllr Heffernan said: "This is a gentleman I will be eternally grateful to. I have a lot to thank him for. I'm thrilled to meet him."

An upcoming holiday in Tenerife will hopefully provide the Mayor with a recovery period as wife Mayoress Di Heffernan said she will ensure he gets lots of rest.

The Mayor, whose shoulder blade has been reconstructed following the incident, raised concerns about drivers travelling at 70mph at the bend in the road where he fell.

He said: "Most of the people in this borough are nice people who will stop and think of others."

The Mayoress added: "I'm absolutely delighted he has been helped by Mr Jones.

"Quite frankly he could have been killed on that corner, especially at that time of night."