Heroic effort

A father-of-three has told how he risked his life to save a man trapped in a crashed car that was filling with smoke.

Former Army Commando Mr Brian Parrish (35) of Lower Kirklington Road, Southwell, used a wheelbrace to smash his way into a silver Volvo to help the dazed driver, who was unable to get out himself.

Mr Parrish was driving on the A46 between the cattle market and Brownhills roundabouts, Newark, on Monday night, when he was flagged down by a woman shouting that the crashed car, which had been in collision with a Land Rover, was on fire.

Mr Parrish, who had been en route to his father-in-law’s house, on Woolmer Road, Newark, said when he saw the trapped man his Army training kicked in.

He said: “I got the wheelbrace from my car and shattered the back window because I didn’t want to get glass on the guy’s face, but I couldn’t reach the door handle so I smashed the front window and opened the door.

“I asked him if he had any pain in his back or his neck and if he could feel his legs and if he tingled anywhere. He said: ‘No’ so I dragged him out of the car.

“I was in the Army for ten years and I have been to Iraq and had three tours in Northern Ireland so I’d seen worse.

“Some young lad came up with a fire extinguisher and put out any possible fire under the bonnet.

“Luckily enough the bloke didn’t seem too bad and he was walking, so I carried on to my father-in-law’s.”

Mr Parrish, who has three daughters, Aime-Anne (5) Shannon-Louise (4) and Lea-Beth (15 months) said it was only after he got the man out of the car he realised how much danger he’d been in.

“I didn’t think. I just got the wheel brace, smashed the window and got him out,” he said.

“It was only after I thought if the car had blown up it would have taken me as well.

“The fact that the car could have blown up didn’t make a bit of difference to me, I was just bothered about getting the man out.”

Mr Parrish, who cares for his wife, Mrs Kari-Anne Parrish (27) who suffers from post-traumatic stress, said the cars involved in the crash were badly damaged.

Mrs Parrish said: “When he told me what he’d done my first instinct was to kill him for being so stupid, but once I’d got over the initial shock I was really proud of him. He’s always willing to help.”