TWO MEN from the BCP area who helped rescue paramedics from an overturned ambulance in Poole have given their accounts of the incident.

Four casualties, including three paramedics onboard the ambulance were injured as the vehicle collided with a car on Commercial Road in Ashley Cross soon after 2pm on Friday July 9.

Although the response from the emergency service was quick, residents and passers-by were the first to come to the assistance of the ambulance crew in the immediate aftermath of the collision.

Danny Lawrence, from Christchurch, had just pulled up in his car to visit some friends in Ashley Cross when he heard two loud bangs.

Bournemouth Echo:

He said: “People said I was like Usain Bolt because I ran so fast to the ambulance to see what had happened.

“The adrenaline kicked in and I just acted on instinct. As I jumped on top of the ambulance, someone lifted my foot up and helped me on top of it.

“I opened the door and asked the two women in the front ‘are you OK? Do either of you have any injuries?’ They said that they were fine, but they were a little bit shaken up.”

Having checked with the paramedics that there wasn't a patient in the back, Danny then proceeded to drag the two female ambulance crew out of the front cabin of the vehicle.

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The 41-year-old added: “I saw that there was fluid on the ground and immediately thought the worst and acted fast.

“But I later found out that that was just coolant from the vehicle.

“There were CO2 gas bottles in the back. If one of those bottles would have come lose and exploded, my life would have been over.

“I would like to try and meet the ambulance staff to check if they are OK and meet them properly.”

As pictures have been circulated on social media by onlookers, Danny has been praised by residents for his quick reactions and courage.

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“Everyone was saying that I was a hero, but my only concern was the safety of these ambulance staff,” said Danny.

“I just did what I thought anyone would do in that situation.

“All NHS workers have done an amazing job during Covid, so it was good to repay them by helping them out for a change.”

Whilst on top of the ambulance helping out the ambulance crew, Danny was joined by Mark Marschall, an electronics engineer from Branksome.

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Mark and his wife Holly were on the way to pick his eldest son up from Bishop Aldhelm's C.E. Primary School when they saw the commotion.

He said: “I could see that there was an incident going on and as we got closer, I could see that it was on its side. So, I pulled over, put the handbrake on and ran down there to see what was happening.

“There were a lot of people standing around and looking, and this topless guy climbed on top of the ambulance to try and get the people out. No one else was going up there to help so I went up there myself.

“I held the door open as the paramedics got out. The driver was the first one to come out and the passenger in the front needed a bit more time to compose herself before she came out.”

As Mark assisted Danny with helping the ambulance crew out of the vehicle, Holly started to direct traffic that was trying to make its way past the incident.

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He added: “When we were trying to get down from the ambulance, one man from one of the nearby shops grabbed a ladder and held if whilst the ambulance staff got down.

“My wife was the one who called the emergency services. Loads of cars were trying to get around us and she said ‘that’s not going to happen’ so she started to direct the traffic.

“When I saw that she was stopping the traffic, I said to her that I have my high vis in the car, so we hung around for a bit longer until the police blocked the road.”