Eleven years ago this December Angelo Ognonna had an almighty brush with death.

That he is here to tell the tale is a miracle and one that still clearly brings a lump to his throat

Talking to The Mirror he revealed the events of a night when his car skidded off a bridge in his car in thick fog and plunged into a river on the outskirts of Turin.

The central defender – currently very much a part of the Hammers first teamhad fallen asleep at the wheel after a night game.

And talking to reporter Darren Lewis he said: “I’m lucky to even be here talking to you. I was driving to the airport in the middle of the night and I fell asleep.

“I woke up and realised I was the opposite side of the road. It was so quick. I hit the fence and I went down into the water in the river. I’d been on the bridge.

“I was so lucky that someone had been not too far behind me and he said afterwards: ‘I didn’t see your car any more’.

“He’d seen my car weaving around on the road and maybe he was scared, wondering: ‘What the hell is he doing?’

“Then he didn’t see my car any more. But he saved me. He looked on the floor when he passed and he saw one piece.

“That’s when he realised and called the emergency services. I’ve never seen him again. I don’t even know his name! “Respect life. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” he said.

ClaretandHugh says: Angelo Ogbonna is one of the few players who we have never heard moan and groan during some often overlong absences from the first team. One of Slaven’s first signings, he has  regularly been linked with moves away from the club and, just as regularly, rejected any thought of doing so publicly. I’m a fan of the bloke and watched him carefully during the Norwich City match when he barely put a foot wrong. Now we see that he has learned football is not more important than life and death. His brush with eternity on that bridge may well have given him the attitude that he now clearly adopts as part of his lifestyle. Expect him to turn out at Villa tonight as Issa Diop’s partner despite some wanting to see Fabian Balbuena back in the side. Oggy has shown himself to be a team player. He’s a top bloke to have on the squad.