MARCH 2009 ...HEROES
BEVERLEY TAXI DRIVER SAVES WOMAN AS CAR PLUNGES INTO ICY POND
wooden fence around the pond in the road and headlights sticking up out of the water. He said: “The car was upside down and half submerged. I got out of the car and rang 999. “They insisted that I didn’t go into the pond. They told me to stay on the path but I could see the car and could hear screaming and the horn was bibbing.
A taxi driver has described how he plunged into an icy pond to rescue a woman from her sinking car.
James Brown told the Yorkshire Post that he felt compelled to help after hearing screams and a horn being franti- cally sounded, despite advice from the emer- gency services to stay put. Firefighers later
admitted his actions probably saved the life of 28-year-old social worker Caroline Saun- ders.
The 41-year-old said the scene which unfold- ed at Bishop Burton’s village pond late on a recent Tuesday night, was like a horror movie. He was driving home to Beverley when he spot- ted the debris of a
“It was half full of water and there was a hand inside the car banging against the window. “The person was trapped, it was pitch black and it was horrif- ic. There was no way I was going to leave whoever was in there.” Mr Brown got into the water and told Miss Saunders he was going to help. “As you would expect, the girl was in
shock and very emo- tional.
“I told her my name was James and tried to reassure her. She was panicking. I told her,
am going to get you out of here’.
“The car was badly damaged; it had taken out a lot of the fence. The door was jammed tight. It wasn’t going to open.”
He flagged down another car and bor- rowed a hammer from its boot, then ran back, scrambled into the pond and onto the car. He warned her he was going to smash the window and was then able to pull her out. Miss Saunders’ mother Ann said her daughter was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary but dis- charged a few hours later.
‘I
She said: “Caroline is in shock. She has a few bumps and cuts but is otherwise okay. “We are so grateful to the gentleman who saved her. We will appre- ciate what he has done for the rest of our lives.” Spokesman for Hum- berside Fire and
Rescue Service Mike Davis said: “The taxi driver performed an exceptional rescue. His quick actions averted what was a potential fatal incident.”
The accident was blamed on black ice which led to a slew of accidents nationwide.
PRIVATE HIRE AND TAXI MONTHLY
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Taxi driver James Brown who rescued Caroline Saunders, 28, trapped in her overturned car after it plunged into Bishop Burton pond, near Hull
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