Heroes in desperate race after fiery crash

Albert (Ted) Collins (left), Anthony Church and Joseph Harding between them saved two men after a truck and a diesel tanker collided near Hamilton. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Anthony Church and Joseph Harding took turns using their steel-capped boots to kick in a window to rescue the trapped driver of a diesel tanker as fire erupted around them.

Seconds earlier, the pair had watched as the tanker - laden with 33,000 litres of diesel - lost control and slid sideways, taking up both lanes of State Highway 1 at Horotiu, north of Hamilton, when an oncoming truck crashed into it.

Mr Church and Mr Harding, who did not know each other, had been in separate vehicles following the tanker on their way to work at 7am on October 30, 2007 when the accident happened.

The pair told the Herald yesterday they gave no thought to their own safety and just rushed to help. It was only afterwards that the danger of what they had done sank in.

"I just remember it going all dark and getting out of the vehicle and everything was all black," Mr Church said. "I remember looking up the road and thinking 'where can I go, this doesn't look good' ... thoughts that flood through your mind at the time.

"And then I realised that there were people. No one was coming out of their vehicles and I probably needed to get up the road pretty quick and see what I could do. But it got worse."

Mr Church and Mr Harding ran to the truck, which was also on fire.

"I didn't think anyone [in the truck] could survive the impact."

So the pair focused their efforts on the 51-year-old tanker driver they could see, taking turns kicking in the tanker's windscreen to pull him out as flames engulfed the rear of the cab.

Mr Church said he remained haunted by the thumping sound of the truck's engine, still running as they rescued the unconscious driver.

The pair had to dislodge the driver's feet from the cab before hauling him to safety. But the driver, concussed and confused, told the pair his children were in the cab and Mr Church ran back to the fiery scene twice to search.

He walked away, confident no one was inside, and was just 50m away when the tanker exploded, sending a plume of thick, black smoke over Hamilton.

Mr Church, who described himself as "quite shy", said receiving his silver medal was surreal and it would take time to sink in. "It's not something that I can really put in words."

Asked whether he thought his actions were heroic, he said: "Not really, [I was] just somebody on the spot at the right time - or wrong time ... nobody special.

"It was just something that was there and we had to do it. I guess if you were in the same position ... you just hope that somebody that's pulling up in the line of traffic would do the same for you."

Mr Harding was rapt to receive a silver medal for his bravery.

"It's a bit of a privilege - never had nothing like it before ... probably never get one again."

Albert Collins, known as Ted, had been following the truck that hit the tanker and watched in horror as it slid sideways towards him before colliding with the truck in front of him.

Mr Collins, a truck driver himself, said he knew he was at risk as he rushed towards the burning wrecks. He found the truck driver who was bleeding profusely but had managed to climb out of his window before collapsing beside the burning vehicle.

Mr Collins, covered in diesel, dragged the driver away as the vehicles were exploding.

He received a bronze medal for his efforts. "It was pretty neat that it all ended well. That's the main thing."