Lauder Cornet is a 'local hero'

Alexa Brown 1605 - 1605 • Last updated 19 Jun 2008 14:47 0 Comments

LAUDER Cornet Jon Threadgall has been hailed a hero after pulling two people from a burning car just minutes before it exploded.

The 25-year-old account manager was travelling on the notorious A9 road near Aviemore, in the Highlands, when the vehicle in front was involved in a head-on smash.

He jumped into action after spotting smoke coming from the wreckage as the passengers trapped inside screamed for their lives.

Reliving the ordeal, Jon told the Border Telegraph: 'I remember looking at the car thinking that the man would need to be cut out. Then I saw the black smoke and knew there was a danger that the car would explode. We had to get them out straight away.

'The passenger door was jammed against a railing, so I had to twist it to get it off. I was pulling the female passenger out and the car caught fire, so I put her on the grass and went back to try to get the man out, but his leg was trapped. There was bone coming through the skin on his leg. He was screaming and screaming.'

Jon, who was first on the scene, managed to free the man"s leg before hoisting him across to the passenger side of the car. Onlookers then helped to pull him out of the vehicle. Less than a minute later, the car exploded.

'There was a huge bang, then flames that reached about ten feet in the air,' Jon said. 'The couple started to go into shock so we just sat on the grass with them and kept talking, trying to keep them conscious.'

Emergency services rushed to the scene after the alarm was raised and a helicopter flew the casualties to hospital, where they were said to be on the road to recovery.

Jon, who works for Scottish and Newcastle breweries, was a passenger in a car on his way home from the Rockness Festival in Inverness when the drama unfolded on June 9.

Firefighters at the scene praised his selfless actions, and it is understood that he could now be nominated for a bravery award.

Jon said: 'You hear about these accidents, but I"d never seen one close up. It puts everything into perspective.'

abrown@bordertelegraph.com

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This article appeared in Border Telegraph 18 Jun 08

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