A GROUP of firefighters got a special thank you from pinball enthusiasts after rescuing a man from a motorway smash just minutes before paramedics were considering amputating his legs to free him.

In February, a crew from the station in Abbey Way, High Wycombe, were called out to the M40 after Giles Larkins was involved in a collision.

They arrived in four minutes and although they managed to free his wife, Sharon, Mr Larkins was trapped by his legs. Paramedics at the scene thought they would have to amputate them to get him out, but at the last minute fire crews managed to free him and he was taken to Wexham Park Hospital in Slough.

Mr Larkins, from Solihull, is now on the road to recovery in hospital but after the accident his step-brother Nick Bennett decided to dedicate his annual pinball fundraiser to the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund as a way of thanking the crew. And on Wednesday, Mr Bennett, 35, from Grove Road, Chesham, handed over £800 to the Wycombe crews, pictured below.

Bill Lambrich, watch manager at Wycombe, said: "We do collections at Christmas, which raise a lot of money, but for one person to raise that kind of money, that's a large donation."

He said the money would go towards three rest homes for injured firefighters.

Mr Bennett, a father-of-one, helps run a pinball website and has a factory dedicated to leisure pursuit near his home where the fundraising weekend was held.

He said: "After Giles had his crash I said it would be one to help him or one of his choice. He said straight away that was where he wanted the money to go. The fire brigade visited Giles in hospital, which was a nice touch and they sent a truck to the open weekend."

Around 150 people attended the fundraiser, which included the UK Pinball Cup.