Grateful car smash driver thanks his rescuers
AMOTORIST who was seriously injured in a crash in Marton has thanked his rescuers.
Wesley Bennett, 29, shattered his hip and broke his ankle in the head-on collision between two cars on Congleton Road on the afternoon of Monday, March 14.
The mechanic was helped from his vehicle by a group of men, believed to be off-duty army medics, before being taken by air ambulance to Wythenshawe Hospital.
Wesley has already had one operation on his leg and hip, and faces a long road to recovery.
His friend Sam Valentine, 27, who was a passenger in the VW Polo that Wesley was driving, suffered a broken sternum and a deep cut to his leg.
The 52-year-old male driver of the other car, a Hyundai Coupe, was also injured.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Wesley said he wanted to thank those who helped him.
He said: “I don’t have much of a memory of what happened, other than suddenly being faced with a car in front of me.
“Then I came to in a lot of pain and confusion. The car was a mess, the dashboard was on top of me. I tried to drag myself out of the car but couldn’t.
“The next thing I was being helped by these lads. One of them had to hold me up as the other got my leg free, and that isn’t an easy job as I weigh 21 stone.
“I don’t know who they were – I think maybe one was called Wayne – but they rescued me from a horrible situation before the paramedics arrived and I really want to thank them personally.”
The accident happened as Wesley, from Davyhulme, and Sam, who is from Stretford, were travelling home after visiting a motorbike factory ahead of their planned trip to the Moto GP in Barcelona in the summer.
Wesley, who has been riding motorbikes for four years, said he is not sure he will be able to ride again.
He said: “The impact of the crash basically pushed my leg back into my hip and shattered it. I had an emergency operation to pull it out and I might need a full hip replacement. It’s going to be a long road back and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to ride again, but I am determined to stay positive.
“The important thing is that I am still alive. If I had been on my bike, it would have been a different story.”
Police are appealing for anyone with information about the crash to call 101, quoting incident number 535 of 14/3/2016.
If you were one of Wesley’s rescuers call reporter Stuart Greer on 0161 211 2061.
‘They rescued me from a horrible situation’