A MAN stabbed in Lockwood is incredibly lucky to be alive.

The badly injured man's life was saved by chance as an ambulance happened to be passing moments after he was stabbed.

The Examiner can exclusively reveal that the paramedics on board saved his life by immediately stemming the massive blood flow and then stabilising the victim as he was rushed to hospital.

The emergency care continued at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary's casualty department where a trauma team had been alerted and was waiting for him.

He was then taken to an operating theatre for emergency surgery.

The man has not been named.

The two highly experienced paramedics were Alan Parkinson and Rosey Charlesworth.

They had been on an emergency call to Berry Brow and were taking a patient to the infirmary when they came across the stabbing at Lockwood Bar at 10pm on Sunday.

A disturbance had erupted outside the Chicago Pizza takeaway on Lockwood Road and then spilled onto nearby Bridge Street.

Fighting was still going on when the ambulance approached and two frantic friends of the badly hurt man flagged it down on Bridge Street.

Mr Parkinson said: "They were screaming for help saying "he's dying, he's dying" and then we noticed the man lying on cobbles.

"He was covered in blood and was slipping in and out of consciousness.

"His blood pressure had plummeted and he was really poorly."

The man had been stabbed in the leg and the knife had gone through a vein.

Mr Parkinson said if they had not been passing it could have been too late after waiting for an ambulance alerted through the 999 system.

"He is one very lucky man," said Mr Parkinson.

A second ambulance arrived to care for the original patient.

Alan Parkinson and Rosey Charlesworth continued to provide treatment to the stabbed man while a colleague drove them to HRI.

Once he had undergone surgery the man's condition stabilised. He is now out of danger.

Mr Parkinson added: "I've no doubt he would have died if we had not been passing."

Mr Parkinson has been shortlisted in the 999 Personality section of next Monday's Examiner Community Awards for his dedicated ambulance work over 30 years.

Lockwood Bar junction was sealed off as daylight broke yesterday.

The junction was reopened at 8.15am.

* Police arrested five men in connection with the disturbance.

All were questioned at Huddersfield police headquarters yesterday and have now been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Anyone with any information about the incident should contact detectives in Huddersfield on 01484 436659 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.