The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Hero hails first aid skills after pulling four men from car crash wreckage
Witness acts fast to save victims following two-car collision
A Dundee first aid hero has told how he pulled four men from the smouldering wreckage of a car crash and looked after them until paramedics arrived.
Equine coach John Clenaghan was driving on Kellas Road when the crash, involving a Nissan and a Skoda, happened just metres away from him yesterday afternoon.
The 28-year-old had only seconds to act when he noticed smoke coming from under the bonnet of one of the vehicles.
He pulled out three “semi-conscious” youths and one man, thought to be between 30 and 40 years old, from the cars and put them in the recovery position away from the smoking car.
John said: “I’m amazed that no one was killed.
“The cars were a mangled wreck and the young boys, who looked like they were in their late teens and early twenties, were semi-conscious and very shaken.
“The other man, who looked like he was between 30 and 40, was also in a bad way. One of the guys was bleeding from the face – my jacket is still soaked with blood.
“I did a first aid course just a few weeks before as part of my coaching. You’re not supposed to move casualties, but they looked like they were stuck in the car and it was smouldering.
“I didn’t know which way it was going to go – it could have gone on fire – so I acted on instinct and got them all out one by one.
“I put them in the recovery position and stayed with them until other people came.”
In a lucky twist, a nurse, a doctor and a surgeon, all of them off duty, got out of their cars and helped, before the ambulance service arrived.
One man was treated by paramedics for abdominal injuries and the rest were described as “walking wounded”.
None of the injuries were said to be life-threatening.
Two fire crews also attended and made the scene safe after the incident, which happened at around 2.50pm.
John said he was very shaken up after the ordeal but wanted to stress the importance of first aid.
He added: “A course costs around £40 and for that money you can really make a difference.
“I’m very shaken after it all but I’m glad I was able to help. I don’t think of myself as a hero, I just acted quickly.
“I’m just glad everyone involved is OK.”
I’m amazed that no one was killed. JOHN CLENAGHAN