A GOOD Samaritan who came to the aid of a cyclist after he had been knocked down by a car has been described as an earth angel . Former police inspector Brian Hay, 64, had been cycling along the A1123 close to his home in Needingworth when he was hit by

A GOOD Samaritan who came to the aid of a cyclist after he had been knocked down by a car has been described as an 'earth angel'.

Former police inspector Brian Hay, 64, had been cycling along the A1123 close to his home in Needingworth when he was hit by a vehicle.

He was knocked to the ground, splitting his head open. The driver of the car has not yet been traced.

The only person to go to his aid was Rachael Rowlands, a housewife and mother of two from Alconbury Weston.

Rachael, 33, said: "I was on my way to visit a friend in Earith when I noticed a man lying at the side of the road and I made the decision to stop and help him.

"I took a blanket from the boot of my car and tied it around his head to stop the bleeding. It was the adrenaline that made me do it."

She kept talking to Mr Hay until the ambulance arrived.

"Reality didn't kick in until the paramedics took over and I realised what I had been doing," she said.

Mr Hay was taken to Hinchingbrooke Hospital A&E suffering from a severe deep laceration to his forehead and scalp, which needed 15 stitches.

Collette Hay, Brian's wife, said the family can not thank Rachael enough.

"Ultimately we would like to thank Rachael from the bottom of our hearts - words cannot be spoken for what she did that morning. She truly is an earth angel.

"Without her quick reactions, things could have been very different."

Rachael, who has never had medical training, added: "Brian's family think I saved his life but I don't see what I did as being heroic. Heroic is jumping into a river to save someone's life. This was more about gut feeling. If I had decided to drive on maybe Brian could have died, or maybe he could have survived, we will never know."

Mr Hay, who told The Hunts Post he is making a "slow but sure recovery", was not wearing a helmet and would like to encourage cyclists to wear one. He said: "Whenever I see someone cycling and not wearing a helmet I want to scream at them to put one on, because I personally know the consequences of not wearing one."

INFORMATION: Police are still trying to piece together what happened to Mr Hay on May 21 at 9.30am.. Anyone with information is asked to call 0845 4564564.