Brave Steve praised
A LOUGHBOROUGH special constable has been thanked after he rescued a man from a burning vehicle.
Steve Muggleton was travelling back to his home in the Sileby area on Sunday, August 20, when he spotted a twocar collision on the M1 between junction 21 and junction 21a.
Steve, 33, who works full time as a chef manager and is dad to two-yearold Louis, has been a special constable for two years and volunteers as part of Loughborough’s Dedicated Neighbourhood Team.
He said: “As I got closer I could see that one of the cars was on fire, and the other had smashed into the central reservation.
“My first instinct was to run to the car on fire and check if anyone was still inside the vehicle. I found an injured man struggling to escape the flames, so I quickly moved him to safety and carried out a full trauma check.
“My fiancée, Ellen, and her friend, Charlene, are both trained first aiders, so I briefed them to look after the injured man while I looked for the driver of the second car.
“I treated the second driver for shock, and once I was satisfied that everyone was safe, I dialled 999 to update the emergency services and managed the scene until they arrived.
“I dealt with the incident to the best of my ability, and my training as a special constable just kicked in to keep everyone safe, it didn’t matter that I was wearing flip flops at the time!”
The injured man was James Stanley (24) from Braunstone. He kept in contact with Steve’s fiancée, Ellen, to update her on his recovery and, when he was well enough, he went to Leicestershire Police headquarters to thank Steve in person.
James said: “Before Steve arrived at the scene I honestly didn’t think I’d be leaving that motorway alive, I’ve never felt pain like it.
“I’m so grateful to all of them, and I really don’t know what would have happened if they hadn’t been there. I feel very lucky and can’t thank them enough.
“I’ve decided that once I’m fully recovered I’d like to become a special constable too. I’d love to be able to help people in the way that Steve helped me.”
Steve received the force’s Special of the Month award, but insists: “All I did was put good training to practise. I’m thrilled to have been able to help James, and to meet him afterwards to shake his hand. He’s doing really well, and I hope he is successful in his application to become a special.”
Steve’s special inspector, Matt Ablewhite, said: “These were incredible actions by an off-duty officer, and the positive results show exactly why we come in and do this voluntarily. Well done Steve!”