Centurion hero boy rescues man from burning truck in KZN
"I was thinking that the man trapped in the truck, probably has a wife and children. I didn’t want anyone to lose a father or a husband."
The quick response of a teenager from Rooihuiskraal North, Centurion, saved the life of a truck driver in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday. Vanessa Trollip-Perry said her brave son, Bailey Trollip (15), was driving with his grandmother to Durban to rescue dogs. “On their way, however, on a steep hill just before they reached Pietermaritzburg, a truck came driving past them at a high speed.”
My mother, who was driving, said she was alerted when she “smelled brakes and realised the truck’s brakes must have failed and pulled back”. Vanessa said the truck was then driving in front of them when they saw it colliding into a barrier. “My mother said she was not sure whether the driver drove into the barrier to avoid colliding with other vehicles, or lost control of the truck.
“But the truck thereafter collided with the middle man of the road and capsized. It caught fire immediately.” Trollip-Perry said there were two people in the truck, apparently the driver and his co-driver. Her mother immediately
pulled over saying to Bailey that they needed to help them. “One of them had been dragged for quite a distance and had almost no skin left on his back. The other, however, was trapped in the truck and was waving his arms. “It was then that Bailey realised how dire the situation was. He said he heard popping noises and knew the truck was going to explode.”
Bailey said at that moment he was thinking that the man trapped in the truck, probably has a wife and children. “I was thinking about them. Having to get a phone call and being informed that they lost a father and a husband. I didn’t want anyone to lose a father or a husband. I don’t know where I got the strength from, but I just dug into the cabin and managed to manoeuvre him and lift the man out.
“His legs were trapped, and the fire was beginning to burn his legs.” Bailey said the men’s injuries were quite serious. “They didn’t talk to us, they didn’t know whether they were in SA or USA at that stage. I got a lot of blood on my shoes, but except for a scorched fringe, I didn’t get hurt. “
The truck exploded and burnt out. I am just glad that no other vehicles were involved and that the two men are alive.” Vanessa said emergency services responded. She was shocked to hear that only one other person stopped to help. She is proud of her son, who was being called a hero among the Centurion community.
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