The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Hero driver tells of aiding crash victim
Abrave Tesco delivery driver has played down his heroic efforts to pull a woman from her car minutes before an explosion.
John Kidd, 56, from the Ballumbie area of Dundee, was among the first on the scene of a two-car crash on the Arbroath to Brechin road on Saturday.
Three people were taken to Ninewells Hospital after the accident, near Colliston.
One of the cars, thought to be a Volkswagen Polo, burst into flames after it was involved in a collision with a red Fiesta on the A933 just before 3pm.
Occupants of the burning car were able to escape by themselves but the woman driving the Fiesta had to be pulled from her vehicle.
John, a former Michelin worker, was with a colleague doing deliveries on only his first week in the job when they came across the accident.
John said: “We were driving round a corner when we saw the accident ahead of us.
“We stopped the van and went to see if we could help while another motorist stopped the traffic.”
John said the two occupants of one car had managed to get themselves out of their vehicle but the woman in the red car was clearly distressed and injured.
With his first aid training from Michelin kicking in, John realised he had to get the woman out of her car.
He said: “There was smoke and flames coming from the other car and I realised pretty quickly that it could blow at any minute.
“My main priority was to get the woman out of the car before that happened.
“She was clearly shocked and was trying to phone someone but I knew I had to get her out.”
John said he opened her car door while still persuading the woman to leave.
He said: “She was a bit reluctant and I was aware she could have injuries that I might be making worse, but I knew I had to get her out.”
John said he just acted on instinct and was able to remain calm.
He said: “I managed to get her out of the car and sitting on the side of the road.
“By this time the other car was on fire and then it just exploded – a serious, loud explosion.”
He and others at the scene managed to get everyone to move away from the blaze and sat with those involved until the emergency services arrived.
The reluctant hero said that after the three women were taken away in the ambulance he and his colleague carried on making their deliveries.
“It was only when I got home later that night did it really begin to kick in what had happened,” he said.