A PENSIONER who collapsed on a Dumbarton street covered in blood has praised the two workmen who saved his life.

Council workers John Ross, 39, and Ross MacKenzie, 43, were walking along Crosslet Road, near Dumbarton Academy, in the early hours of the morning when they spotted dog walker Malcolm MacFarlane slumped over drifting in and out of consciousness.

The pair rushed to his rescue, called for help and cleaned his head wound that he obtained from his fall.

The 67-year-old was taken to hospital where it was discovered he was suffering from a blood clot which had travelled from his leg to his lung. If the clot had gotten any further, then it could have killed him.

Malcolm, who has made a full recovery after the incident late last year, has since praised the two for saving his life.

He said: "I’m really grateful that John and Ross came to my aid, I dread to think what might have happened if they hadn’t.

"Thanks to them I got the medical care and treatment I need quickly and I’m now fully recovered and back to normal."

The duo, who both work for the council’s waste services at Elm Road, insist they just did what any person would have done in the situation.

John, who has worked for the council for 16 years, said: “I see Malcolm most mornings out walking his dog. It’s always about 6.30am so there aren’t many other people about.

“It was still dark that morning, but up ahead I could see Malcolm’s dog and it looked as though it was guarding something.

"As I got closer, I saw that it was him, and he was lying on the ground, slumped against the fence and covered in blood. He’d obviously hurt himself when he fell.

"He was drifting in and out of consciousness and he didn’t know where he was.”

The men worked together to keep Malcolm responsive by getting him to talk to them while they phoned for an ambulance. They propped him up and cleaned up his bloody head wound. The operators guided them through the situation and telling them what to do and still showed up for their shifts like normal after saving his life.

Ross added: “People have said we are heroes and that we saved his life, but we just did what any human being would have done and tried to help.

Councillor Iain McLaren, convener of infrastructure, regeneration and economic development, said: “John and Ross undoubtedly played a part in saving this resident’s life.

"This is another example of our employees going above and beyond and I want to commend them for their heroic actions.”