Fuel station staff hailed as heroes after rescuing crash victim in Paulshof
Trained for emergencies, fuel station staff acted within seconds to pull an unresponsive driver from a burning vehicle and prevent further damage.
Staff members from Astron Energy fuel station have been praised for their quick response.
This comes after they rescued a driver and contained a fire following a crash on April 27 at the intersection of Witkoppen and Stonehaven roads in Paulshof.
The driver reportedly crashed into a car dealership’s fence near the fuel station. A video, circulating in community groups, shows the aftermath of the incident. The situation unfolded rapidly, leaving little time to react.
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One of the staff members, Mawade Bentsile, said they acted on instinct.
“My first reaction was to run towards the accident, and two of my colleagues rushed there as well. The driver’s foot was still on the accelerator, causing the car to grind and sparks to fly, which then led to a fire.”
As flames began to spread and fuel started dripping towards parked cars, the team quickly grabbed fire extinguishers to contain the blaze.
“We have been trained to deal with fire emergencies because we work with fuel. We also went for first aid training in case of incidents on the forecourt,” said Chris Pilusa.
Pilusa added that the most frightening moment came when they pulled the male driver from the vehicle and found him unresponsive.
“We kept going until we managed to put out the fire. At one point, when he was unconscious, we thought we had lost him.”
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The staff continued checking the driver’s pulse while bystanders contacted emergency services, remaining on scene until he was stabilised. Dorah Banda said once the fire was under control, and the driver was breathing, they stepped back as paramedics arrived.
“When we saw he was breathing and the fire was out, we returned to our duties as emergency services took over.”
Roshan Byjnal, from the Sandton Community Policing Forum, has hailed the staff members as heroes. “They acted swiftly to contain the fire and assist the driver. Their response made a significant difference in those critical moments.”
Xolani Fihla, from the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, as well as Kagiso Phasha, from the City of Johannesburg emergency management services, were reached out to for comment, however none was forthcoming at the time of publication.
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