This is the moment brave lorry driver John Rastrick from Chesterfield saved a woman from her burning car – just seconds before it exploded
This is the moment brave lorry driver John Rastrick from Chesterfield saved a woman from her burning car – just seconds before it exploded. John was travelling northbound on the M1 on the evening of 17 January, 2019 when a collision took place in front of him at 5.43pm.
The car burst into flames and the 27-year-old driver, Pari Mistry, was trapped inside. With no time to spare, John leapt from his cab and ran towards the burning vehicle knowing he only moments to save the driver. He was met with thick smoke and flames which were rapidly engulfing the car, and he found Pari curled up in the driver’s seat in complete shock. John dragged the Leicester woman from the car to safety with the help of other motorists. Within 29 seconds of helping Pari out of the car, it exploded. Pari, who had been on the way to meet her husband for dinner, spent four days in a critical care unit at Coventry and Walsgrave General Hospital with a skull fracture. She underwent an eight-hour operation on her skull and then had to learn to walk and talk again. John and Pari have kept in touch since the accident and remain close friends and this morning they will finally be reunited with the crew who helped on that fateful day. This includes paramedic Katie Brown, technician Ian Brummel, paramedic Trevor Hawkes and trainee technician James O’Neil who arrived on two crewed ambulances, Duty Operations Manager Darren Alderton who arrived in an ambulance car, Dr Matt Woods and call handler Joanne Keenan.
