A PENSIONER who was six hours away from death after falling in her home has thanked her ‘knight in shining armour’, a volunteer driver, for saving her life.

Rosemary Frank, 91, was left on the floor of her bedroom for two days after a fall at her home in Kempsey.

Her son told the Worcester News she was forced to eat soil from a nearby potted plant to sustain herself.

Mrs Frank was only saved because Derek Cowdry, a volunteer driver for Worcester Wheels, decided to check in on her after she missed her regular trip to the hair salon.

The 75-year-old driver said: “It was unusual for Mrs Frank to arrange a lift and not use it, so I popped over to check on her. There was no response, so I knocked on the neighbours' door to see if anyone had a key.

“Eventually I found someone who did have one, and we went over to the house together. We found Mrs Frank on the floor of her bedroom – she was barely concious. I phoned an ambulance and she was taken to hospital.

"I don’t see what I did as a big thing, it is what, I hope, anyone would have done. I am just relieved that Mrs Frank is recovering well.”

Mrs Frank sustained three fractures to her right wrist and was severely dehydrated, and she said doctors told her that at the point Derek found her she would have been six hours away from death if nobody had saved her.

Now, after a 10-day stay at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Mrs Frank is recovering at home with the help of her beloved son, Richard.

She said: “The last thing I remember was speaking with my daughter in Canada on Sunday night, the next thing I know it was Tuesday and I was in hospital.

“I don’t remember anything that happened for those two days or how I fell and injured myself. All I know is that if Derek hadn’t had gone out of his way to help me, I would be dead. He saved my life, he is my knight in shining armour.

“I am now at home getting better with the help of my son, Richard. I also have carers come in twice a day to help me, the NHS have been wonderful, but of course, the hero of this story is Derek.”

Dormston Cook, manager of Worcester Wheels, added: “We are so glad Mrs Frank is recovering well and are so very proud of Derek for his dedication and courage.”