HEROIC dad Derek Hale risked his life by deliberately driving into a runaway trailer as it hurtled down a main road.

The fearless, quick thinking, 43-year-old used his own car with his two young children inside as a buffer to try and prevent a more serious accident.

Mr Hale told the SNJ on Monday how he drove his VW Passat into the path of the trailer, which was carrying 10 tonnes of hay and careering out of control towards the A46 junction.

The father-of-two was taking John, 13 and Lindsey, 11 to their mother's house in Gloucester when the drama unfolded at the weekend.

The tractor driver in front of Mr Hale had suddenly changed gear, causing a jolt which disconnected the trailer and sent it speeding downhill.

"The easiest thing in the world for me to do would have been to drive off, but I looked in my mirror and saw two women in the car behind me and thought I can't do that," said Mr Hale.

"If I hadn't stopped the trailer, it would have been travelling at about 40mph by the time it reached the women behind me."

"It was an educated judgement to try and stop the trailer or make it slow down."

Mr Hale, a building site foreman realised after the event how he could easily have been killed during the incident at 10am on Saturday.

"I was very nearly beheaded," he said.

"When we stopped, there was a piece of metal sticking through the window about a foot above my head," he explained.

"Everyone was extremely calm at the time. I think it only sunk in afterwards.

"I wouldn't say it was a sensible decision because I am a single parent and my kids are the only thing I've got. But it just seemed the right thing to do at the time."

His three-year-old Passat, bought just three months ago was crushed but he remains philosophical.

"At the end of the day, it's only a lump of metal, although it was my pride and joy," said Mr Hale, of Summer Street, Stroud.

"I've now got a convertible," he joked.

Sergeant Garrett Gloyn, of Stroud police, praised Mr Hale's 'public-spirited' actions but said he wouldn't recommend them to anyone else.

"Obviously his actions have resulted in quite a lot of damage to his own vehicle He appears to have had a car that could withstand the impact.

"There were no serious injuries and he has potentially stopped a much worse accident from taking place," he said.

A Modest Mr Hale said he didn't feel like a hero - however this is the second time he has risked his life for others in six months.

While on holiday in Spain, he dragged his own children and two others out of a strong current at sea after lifeguards failed to intervene.

And with a proud shrug he added: "My kids now think I'm the best thing since sliced bread,"