AN AA patrol officer has being awarded one of the motoring organisation's highest honours after going to the aid of a student trapped in a minibus that had plunged 200ft into a ravine.

Rick Buckley risked his life to save Helen Grieve when she became trapped between the roof and the door pillar of the vehicle with a tree jammed against her stomach.

The 29-year-old, from Stamford Bridge, climbed down the ravine at the Hole of Horcum, near Pickering, where the minibus was lodged against a tree.

He stayed in the bus until the emergency services arrived, and secured the vehicle while Ms Grieve was taken to hospital.

Ms Grieve, 21, a sabbatical charity officer at the University of York, escaped with minor injuries. Earlier this week she presented Mr Buckley with an AA Service medal.

She said: "He was a great comfort to me at a very frightening time and I'll always be grateful. I'm glad to have the opportunity to thank him in person."

Mr Buckley is one of only 92 AA staff to have been awarded the medal since it was introduced in 1956 for his act of bravery.

He said: "I never really thought about what I was doing - I just did it. I just held her hand and kept chatting to her."