Hero taxi driver saves woman from burning car moments before it turned into fireball A HEROIC taxi driver and his passenger pulled a young woman from her burning car moments before it turned into a “fireball” on Saturday.
Dorset Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that it received reports of the blaze on Dorset Way, Poole, at 3.30am and that two passers-by had freed the vehicle’s driver prior to their arrival.
One of those passers-by was 32-year-old Darrel Priestley who was travelling back to his Broadstone home after an evening out with his fiancée, Jayne Weeks, when they saw a smoking car on the side of the carriageway.
“Jayne shouted out to the taxi driver to stop the car,” said Mr Priestley. “A car had come off the road and was embedded in a bush and was on fire.
“A man was crying out that his sister was in the car and he couldn’t get her out.
“I just rushed to the car and saw she was stuck there – the airbag was deployed and she was trapped by her seatbelt. I could smell the smoke becoming more intense, and I knew I just had to get her out before it all went up.”
Mr Priestley said he managed to unbuckle the seatbelt and pull the woman, who is understood to have sustained a broken ankle, from the car.
But as he did so he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground as flames began to engulf the vehicle.
“That was when the taxi driver was amazing,” said Mr Priestley. “He helped both of us up and got us away from the car. I really want to know who he is. I got quite emotional afterwards when we spoke about it – but I don’t know what his name is or who he works for. I’d like to say thank you to him for what he did.”
And Miss Weeks, who called the emergency services, said the car then turned into a “fireball”.
“I was standing back but could feel the heat from the flames,” she said. “It all happened so quickly. I kept speaking to her to try and keep her conscious.
“She was getting really cold, but thankfully some more people who had seen what was going on stopped and had blankets to put over her.”
A Dorset Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said that a crew from Poole was sent to the scene and the flames were extinguished by firefighters using a hose reel jet.
source:
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/d ... _fireball/
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