Hero men battled ‘wall of fire’ to save woman as two men died in …

The bravery of people who rushed to help victims of a horror crash on the M62 ^[1] have been praised by a coroner.

The crash involved a lorry which hit the back of a BMW in April last year, causing a large fire.

Two men lost their lives – BMW driver Dale Emery and lorry driver Adrian Haywood. The actions of others at the scene helped save the life of a female passenger, reports HullLive.^[2]

Dale, 54, was described as ‘considerate and loving’ while Adrian was said to be a hard working family man, an inquest into the deaths heard on Monday.

Coroner Lorraine Harris concluded their deaths were the result of a road traffic incident.

She praised the men who helped at the scene, saying their actions had saved the life of the female passenger. She said their bravery should be recognised.

Recovery services clear up the wreckage following a serious collision on the M62 (Image: Sean Stewart)

The inquest heard from one of the men who came to the aid of the victims despite the wall of flames that greeted him and several others who helped.

In a statement he said the HGV jack-knifed and there was a ‘big fireball’.

He said: “I saw a car in flames and there was nothing I could do to assist anyone inside.

“I noticed the flames were close to the lorry cab. I ran over and tried to open the passenger door but it was jammed. I tried smashing the window with my fist and then two other males came and broke it with a piece of wood. I saw the driver was in shock. He had cuts to his face but he was not bleeding badly.”

The man said the lorry driver urged him to save the female passenger who was in the footwell.

He said another man got inside and passed the woman out to him. He then tried to save the driver.

“We managed to get the door three quarters open but the fire was spreading round us and I could feel the heat. The driver’s leg was trapped. I grabbed hold of him and tried to pull him but I couldn’t free him.”

Members of the public were forced back by flames and sadly Adrian could not be saved.

In a statement, the female passenger in Adrian’s lorry said she was on her phone and looked up to see a car ahead but she remembered nothing until waking up in hospital. She was in hospital two weeks, ten of which were in intensive care. She had broken her neck but has since recovered well.

The driver of a Warburtons’s HGV, which was just in front of Dale’s car, also gave a statement which was read out at the inquest. He said he had slowed as traffic approached the roadworks eastbound at the Ouse Bridge near Goole.

He said: “I heard this terrific crash and the cabin was shaking. There was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. I moved to the hard shoulder and got out to see what had happened.

“I saw a lorry had jack-knifed and there was a wall of flames. There was so much smoke. I saw someone jump on the back of the trailer of the lorry that had jack-knifed and try to get into the cabin. I could feel the heat and flames and smoke was choking me.

“Someone asked if I had a fire extinguisher so I ran back but could not find one. I then saw someone carry a female out of the cabin while others were trying to get the driver out. I broke down and was in shock. I felt sick to my stomach.”

Another HGV driver, just behind Adrian’s lorry saw what happened.

In his statement he said: “I was starting to approach the roadworks and continued to slow down but the HGV ahead of me did not. I felt something was going to happen.

“The lorry indicated to go into lane two but then started to move back. It suddenly braked hard. There was this sudden bang and explosion with flames.

“I knew no one was getting out of the car but members of the public went to help the lorry driver. The fire was spreading rapidly but they managed to bring out a female.”

Pathology reports concluded both Dale and Adrian died of severe burns while Dale also suffered traumatic internal injuries due to a road traffic incident.

Toxicology results found Dale had no drugs or alcohol in his system but Adrian tested positive for cocaine which could have affected his driving.

Collision investigator PC Robert Sawyers told the inquest there was no evidence Adrian or Dale were using their phones at the time of the collision and neither his nor Dale’s vehicles were found to be defective. He also said the signs warning of the approaching road works at the Ouse Bridge were deemed adequate.

Dale’s partner Judy Leach described how she has struggled since losing her soul mate. She met Dale on a dating website in 2016 and they hit it off straight away.

She said: “I have never known a man so considerate and loving. He had a great personality and loved a laugh.

“Dale always put me first while he got on with people and was well loved at work. We went on holidays abroad together and enjoyed making memories.

“Dale left early that day before I was awake but he told me he loved me and I will never forget those words. When I was told Dale had died my world fell apart and I have never been the same since. I can’t move forward with my life.

“We planned to go to Cuba later that year and were getting engaged. I wanted nothing more than for us to be together forever.”

Adrian’s daughter Christina also provided a statement and admitted her dad had faced difficult periods in his life.

She said: “My dad was born In Nottingham and joined the army when he was 16 years old. He married two years later and had a son before I was born two years later. But mum and dad’s relationship broke down but he remained a good dad to us and saw us every other weekend.”

Christina said her dad had several failed relationships over the years and after leaving the army became a butcher and then an HGV driver. He also had a stint as a DJ in Corfu.

But his life fell apart after the death of a friend during which he fell in with the wrong crowd and ended up in jail for drug offences. His drug use increased once more after the death of his mother but his life improved when he met his new partner in 2020.

Christina said: “He met his new partner in 2020 and they moved in together. She helped him with his mental health and he treated her children like his own. He was happy and looking forward to the future.

“My dad was a good person who would do anything for anyone. Although he had been in trouble at times he was a good, hardworking family man who never gave up on me or my brother. He will be missed by everyone.”

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References

^{^} M62 (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
^{^} reports HullLive. (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
^{^} Emergency worker ‘assaulted’ as women trade blows in Sheffield street (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
^{^} here (www.examinerlive.co.uk)