East Lothian schoolboy hailed a hero after helping to save life of trapped lorry driver
A brave schoolboy has been hailed a hero after his quick thinking helped save the life of a lorry driver who was trapped inside his burning cab.
Ben Somerville, 11, and his dad Alan were driving to Prestonpans for Ben’s badminton lesson shortly before 4pm on March 11 when they saw a lorry leave the A1 at Haddington and plummet towards the slip road they were travelling on.
“We turned the corner onto the A1 slip road and we were approaching the police perch that’s there and that’s when we saw the lorry sliding down the embankment, it was coming crashing down,” said Alan, who lives in Gifford with his wife Susie, Ben and Ben’s twin sister Chloe.
Alan stopped the car and phoned the emergency services but said panic began to set in when he realised he could smell fuel coming from the vehicle.
“There were people shouting saying that smoke was coming from the cab and I was starting to panic because it looked like the driver was going to be trapped inside,” he said.
“But while I was on the phone to the emergency services, my son Ben, without any prompting from me, went straight into the boot of the car off his own back and got the fire extinguisher and went running over to the lorry.
“There was another lorry driver who had stopped and he was able to use the fire extinguisher to smash the window of the cab and pull the driver free. His trousers were on fire so the fire had started to take hold already.”
Alan and Ben, who is a pupil at Yester Primary School, got back into the car and moved further down the slip road, before watching in horror as the lorry cab was engulfed in flames.
“Minutes after the crash, the cab just blew up, and then the tyres blew up and flew into the air,” said Alan.
“It’s an image I just can’t get out my head at the moment.”
The day’s events, which Alan described as ‘horrifying’ and ‘hard to forget’, have also left their mark on Ben, who had to stay off school the following day after struggling with nightmares.
“He was up with nightmares through the night so I know he’s been thinking about it a bit,” said Alan. “My wife and I have just been talking to him about what happened and getting him to open up. But it was a horrifying experience for everyone there, never mind a young boy.”
Alan praised his son’s quick-thinking and bravery, without which, he said, the incident could have had a much more tragic outcome.
“In times like these, I think part of humans wants to approach it and part of us doesn’t. My main focus was looking after Ben and making sure he was okay but his first thought was to spring into action and get the fire extinguisher to try and help,” said Alan.
“It’s a phenomenal thing for a 11-year-old to do. Without him doing that, it might have been a very different outcome because it was that that meant the other guy was able to smash the window and get the driver out. I just keep thinking that it could have been so much worse and I’m so happy that the driver got out okay. That’s the main thing.
“I keep telling him that he helped save this guy’s life and that he needs to realise that what he did was amazing. He’s just such a thoughtful, kind little boy. He just wanted to help, but I don’t think he realises what a difference he actually made.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.