Brave actions recognised
When Hamilton father of three, Shamim, heard a loud bang outside his house he went to investigate.
The next thing he knew he was helping to pull three injured people from a car engulfed in flames.
His brave actions that morning, along with rescuer Paul Gerritsen, were recognised at the Waikato District Police Pay Parade yesterday, where a number of police were also presented with long service and good conduct medals.
The men were first on the scene of the crash on Kahikatea Dr, Melville, in April.
The crash happened after a driver lost control of their car, hit a kerb and became airborne before smashing head-first into a power pole.
Shamim was at home with his three children after dropping his wife off to work at nearby Waikato Hospital the day of the crash, and he was scrolling through his phone when he heard a bang.
When he got outside all three passengers were still stuck inside.
Flames had just started to flicker in the smashed engine bay and Shamim went to help the driver. The man was conscious but could barely talk, he said.
As Shamim was reacting, Gerritsen was heading to work in the fog when he noticed a smoking car.
The former Hamilton City firefighter, who left his job last July to invest in his waste business, saw flames coming from the bonnet and inside the vehicle and people trapped.
He went to help a woman in the front passenger seat. She’d been badly injured by the impact with a suspected broken hip and femur and was unconscious, and appeared to be trapped.
Through the flames and smoke he grabbed her and pulled her to safety as flames were engulfing the car.
He returned to find the driver lying facedown a few metres from the burning car, and he and Shamim carried him across the road to safety.
At the ceremony Shamim said it was awesome to be recognised by the police.
He said looking back it was a ‘‘surreal’’ experience, and he was just glad he had been able to help people.
Gerritsen said the recognition was unexpected.
‘‘Looking back on it, it’s funny getting recognition because it’s something anyone would have done.’’
Two other people from Whitianga also received certificates from police for helping officers who were being assaulted during a gang brawl in the town.
One of the men, who Stuff has chosen not to name, was at the ceremony with his family to receive his award. He said being recognised by the police was pretty humbling.
The officer he assisted came to thank him a few days later and was pretty battered, but was already back at work, he said.
‘‘Those guys do it all the time for us, so when they really need us they should rely on us to jump in and help them.’’
Three police officers were also recognised at the ceremony for 42 years service, with one of them Sergeant Vince Ranger. Ranger joined the force officially in 1978, but in 1973 was part of the Forest Rangers, serving as Ranger Ranger.
Most of his time in the force has been spent in Waikato or South Waikato, with Ranger joining search and rescue in 2014.
Since then, he has been involved in a number of searches and is a nationally recognised search and rescue expert.
‘‘It’s something anyone would have done’’
Rescuer Paul Gerritsen