Good Samaritans help rescue lorry driver from M4 crash during Storm Darragh
A number of good Samaritans helped rescue a 'distressed' driver from an overturned lorry on the M4 on Saturday night before emergency services arrived. A heavy goods vehicle (HGV) crashed at junction 8/9 of the M4, near Maidenhead - a roundabout also known as the Holyport Interchange. At about 7.15pm, Thames Valley Police received a call about an overturned lorry due to the high winds.
Aroon Hussain, who lives in Maidenhead, was one of the drivers that night who came upon the scene after the dramatic event. He saw that several cars had stopped on the road and people were getting of their cars to try and help. A small group of people were attempting to free the distressed driver from the lorry while traffic continued to pass the crash.
Having tried the door, it became apparent that it was stuck and would not open. Attempts to break with windscreen with a golf club were unsuccessful. Aroon managed to break it with a fire extinguisher.
The driver was able to stand up, and with help from the three people, climb out. Aroon then tried to direct traffic around the crash before emergency services arrived. He said that, from the time he arrived on the scene, the police took about 15 minutes to come - which 'felt like eternity' and was 'frustrating', as traffic control was greatly needed, he felt.
"Some of those cars were missing [the lorry] by inches," Aroon said. Those helping the driver were acutely concerned by the sight of fuel from the lorry pooling 'everywhere'. "I was afraid what would happen," Aroon said. "Hypothetically speaking, if someone flung their cigarette, then from one catastrophe there's going to be a lot more.
"Any spark, and you've had it." Asked what spurred him into action, he said "It's just instinct, you do what you can. It was a bit surreal."
The driver was not seriously hurt and was treated at the scene by paramedics from South Central Ambulance (SCAS) for minor injuries. A spokesperson for the South Central Ambulance Service said it received a call about the crash at 7.23pm and an ambulance was on the scene three minutes later. The driver was then transported to hospital for checks.
National Highways said vehicle recovery was complete by 5.15am on Sunday morning. Road surface repairs were then carried out before the roundabout and westbound carriageway was fully reopened. The lorry could not be recovered straight away due to the ongoing high winds and the size of the lorry making this unsafe.
Fire crews from Wokingham, Bracknell and Ascot fire stations were also called to the scene.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police, said: "Officers were dispatched and arrived in 13 minutes of the call coming in, during a time when there was a surge of demand on the roads due to the high winds and challenging conditions.
"The driver had already been removed from the lorry [and] thankfully he had only suffered minor injuries."