They were commuting together to their separate workplaces in Carlisle but whilst on the A74(M) near Gretna, things took an unexpected turn as an HGV travelling in front of their car ventured off the carriageway, careered down a banking and crashed onto the railway.
Despite not knowing the potential dangers, their first instinct was to safely stop and provide help.
Rob, who works as a vehicle progressor and farmer, said: “The lorry veered off the road and into the grassy bit. My girlfriend saw it all because she was driving, I caught the end of it.
“We pulled over into a safe position and Evan called the authorities.”
He added: “I’m a racing driver, so I’ve seen accidents happen in front of me before.
“I jumped out of the car and got on to the phone to the operator as well.
“I could see the lorry door open as I was giving details, but I didn’t know what I was going down to.
“I wasn’t really thinking about myself – I was thinking about someone else and making sure they were okay.
“I was making sure the lorry was not going to move any further or the cargo wasn’t going to come free and squash me. It was not a major load, luckily.
“As I got closer to the train line I looked up to make sure there was no electrical wiring and then I was listening for any trains.
“I got down to the gentleman and my first thought was to get him off the track. It was about his safety.
“I got the gentleman out of the cab and helped him up to the top of the embankment.”
The emergency services who had rushed to the scene then took over, while Rob and Evan exchanged details with them before setting back off to work.
Rob believes some of his motorsport experience, racing Mazda MX5s, might have, in a way, desensitised him from seeing accidents.
But, after having time to reflect, he knows the story could have been a whole lot different.
And he said: “From start to finish it all took about 25 minutes.
“Had there been a train coming it could have ended up worse. You think about these things afterwards but not at the time.
“Would I do it again? Of course. It wasn’t about being a hero, it was about doing the right thing.
“You never expect to go to work on a Friday morning and for that to happen in front of you.
“Obviously you think of all the things that could’ve happened. It could have been a lot worse for me, the gentleman and for folk that were taking trains that day.
“At the time you don’t think about things, you just do it.”
