‘Incidents like this show we can get there quickly and save lives’

Two members of the Warwick District Community First Responders, a voluntary group trained to provide assistance in emergencies, received a report that a car had rolled on to its roof in Guy Street last Friday at around 9.45pm.

The volunteers, Derek Brady from Warwick and Bill Calvert from Leek Wootton, managed to get to the scene before an ambulance and found a woman in her early 30s trapped inside the car.

Nick Shacklock, chairman of the responders group, said: “Derek immobilised the young lady’s head and talked to her, while Bill kept the crowds back as there were a lot of people coming to see what was happening.

“The ambulance crew then arrived and Derek carried on helping to immobilise the woman.

“It was important that he was there to talk to her, as very often part of the battle is won when people feel that somebody is helping them.

“It was Bill’s first major incident, but Derek has been responding for several years and is a stalwart of our group.”

He added: “Incidents like this show we can get there very quickly. We can save lives.”

It was thought that the car had crashed into a parked car before turning onto its roof.

After the woman was freed, she was treated at the scene for back pain and then taken to Warwick Hospital.

Community First Responders receive full intensive training and must accompany paramedics on two full shifts before becoming a volunteer.

Anyone interested in finding out more can call Mr Shacklock on 07581 458270 or go online.