Truckies recognised for saving baby from burning wreck

[kscarbel2]

Sunshine Coast Daily  /  July 22, 2016

The first thing Bradley Morrison heard when he rushed up to a burning car was a baby crying. So he went to the back seat and pulled her out.

Another man - Steven Hird - tried to open the front passenger door to try and get the mother out. But the car was starting to be engulfed in flames and the door was extremely hot and was jammed.

Mr Morrison, who now lives in Warwick, and Mr Hird, who lives in Bowen, received bravery awards during a ceremony in Brisbane on Thursday for their rescuing efforts.

They both received a Certificate of Merit from the The Royal Humane Society of Australasia.

The two men were driving trucks along the Cunningham Hwy when they came across the horrific scene in November 2013.

It was about 9.20pm and a car, being driven by a mother with her nine-month-old baby in the back, and a B-double truck had crashed on the highway at Aratula.

Both vehicles were on fire.

Mr Morrison pulled the baby out of the burning car. The driver of the truck involved in the crash had escaped but the mother tragically died.

Looking back, the men said they did not pause to think about rushing in to help; it was instinct.

"We just went in and did what had to be done I guess," Mr Morrison said.

Mr Hird said the worst part was watching the mother be engulfed in the fire.

"The passenger's door was really hot because it was really on flames at that point, the hardest part was watching the mother pass away and not being able to (help)," Mr Hird said.

Mr Morrison was holding the baby while it all happened and the worst part for him was holding the girl while her mother was in the burning car.

Mr Morrison said he regularly passed the site where the crash happened and always notices the cross and flowers on the side of the road.

He is also friends with the baby's family that he had seen the little girl a few months ago.

The men said they were pleased to be recognised for their rescuing efforts.

"I guess it is good to be recognised for what you've done. Not that you'd do it for that though," Mr Morrison said.

Mr Hird agreed.

"That's the first thing (people) ask - how do you feel about it - it's great, but it's not what we expected when we were doing it," Mr Hird said.

The third man involved in the rescue received a similar bravery award in Melbourne.

[BillyT]

Good to see! Too much negative stuff about truckers out there!