Shortland Street star real-life hero

In what sounds like a Shortland Street cliffhanger, one of the soap’s stars helped pull a motorist from a burning wreck.

Actor Pua Magasiva was among a group of rescuers who helped pull the man from his car after it veered off the road and smashed into a tree on the Hibiscus Coast Highway in Orewa in north Auckland.

Waitemata police Acting Inspector Jason Homan said the man was driving north on the highway about 9.30am on Sunday when the crash happened.

The force of the crash was so great it pushed the engine bay back into the driver, pinning him into the seat and impaling his leg with one of the pedals.

Campervan driver Michael Williams immediately stopped and attempted to wake the unconscious driver.

Soon an off-duty police officer arrived as well as other motorists including Magasiva and Steve Strongman, Joe Parsons and Craig Watson.

The car’s engine then burst into flames.

The group managed to rip the steering wheel off to free the driver’s chest and pulled the pedal off his leg, while also fighting the flames.

They managed to drag the man 30 metres to safety and he was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

He has since undergone surgery for his injuries and is now in a stable condition in Auckland Hospital.

Williams said he had just turned his new campervan onto the Hibiscus Coast Highway when he saw a car coming towards him on the wrong side of the road.

‘‘I was just deciding whether to throw the wheel into the ditch when the car swerved and hit the tree.’’

He ran to the car and pulled the door open, immediately realising the man’s leg was in a bad way.

He moved the seat back to allow the man more room to breathe before noticing the flames.

‘‘I saw the flames creeping up from the bonnet and thought ‘oh s..., what do I do’, so I went back to get my little extinguisher out of the camper and that put most of the flames out.’’

Running back for more water other motorists arrived and together they ripped off the steering wheel.

After freeing the man Williams used his first aid training to stabilise him and keep him calm as he began to panic.

‘‘He thought he was going to die and I remember telling him . . . ‘look at me, look at me, you’re not going to die’.

‘‘He was alright when he saw that his foot was still attached.’’

Motorist Joe Parsons said he was following behind the man and watched as he drifted off the road and smashed into a tree.

‘‘I was driving along drinking my coffee and having a pie and whammo.’’

When the extinguisher failed to put out the flames completely he knew he had to free the man, so jumped into the passenger side.

‘‘He started screaming and I just said to him, ‘look mate, it’s going to hurt’, and I could see the flames, I could feel them on my back.’’

Parsons said people saw the flames and yelled that everyone had to get back, but it was impossible to sit and watch a man burn to death.

During the rescue Parsons said he had no idea one of the men assisting was a Shortland Street actor.

Homan praised the group’s efforts, without which the man would have likely died.

‘‘These were ordinary folk doing everyday things, who have been thrust into a situation where they have had to make a decision to stop and help someone in dire need.

‘‘We hear a lot of bad things in our line or work, but it’s things like this that remind us that there are a lot of good people out there.’’

‘‘I remember telling him . . . ‘look at me, look at me, you’re not going to die’.’’

actor Pua Magasiva