Fastway Couriers contractor, Dylan Pay, has been recognised for his role in preventing serious injuries during a four car pile-up on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway on 2 July, 2013.
Pay, who celebrates his two year anniversary with Fastway Couriers on 9 August, was awarded a Fastway Couriers Community Service Award at the Napier depot last night.
Dennis Paxie, Fastway Couriers Napier Regional Franchisee, says Dylan deserves to be recognised for his quick thinking and concern for other motorists.
“Dylan was heading home from training as a volunteer fire fighter at around 9:30pm, when he saw an elderly lady and her passenger broken down in a dangerous spot on the Ngaruroro River Bridge,” Paxie says. “Dylan stopped his car to provide assistance and was shortly joined by another concerned motorist, David Palfreyman.”
Paxie says that after successfully jump-starting the car, Dylan was helping the woman back into her car and David was removing the jumper cables when he spotted a four wheel drive approaching at speed.
“Dylan pulled the woman to safety and yelled for David to get out of the way just seconds before the four wheel drive impacted with the rear of the car, which was forceful enough to slam the first car forward into the other two cars,” says Paxie.
Acting on instinct, Dylan says he ensured the woman was not injured and attempted to pry her injured passenger out of the wreckage, before noticing Palfreyman slumped on the wrong side of the bridge barrier, just centimetres away from a 25 metre drop.
“I think David collided with the railing when he jumped out of the way. He was dazed and concussed and looked like he was going to stumble and fall off the bridge. I ran over and pulled him back over the railing. I don’t think he has any memory of what happened but he is very lucky. We are all lucky,” says Pay.
Pay credits his fire fighting training to keeping a cool head in a dangerous situation,
“I’m glad I stopped to help out and I’m very thankful nobody was seriously injured,” adds Pay.
“In the two years he’s been with us, Dylan has proven himself to be one of the most genuine and sincere people I’ve ever worked with,” says Paxie. “He is a very hard worker who somehow finds time to do work for the Salvos and for his local church group.”
“Lots of people probably wouldn’t have even stopped to help in the first place, so just stopping is something worth mentioning,” Paxie adds. “To then go above and beyond that and put your own life at risk to ensure the safety of others is, in my opinion, a heroic act.”
“The way that Dylan carried himself throughout the entire ordeal absolutely deserves recognition,” he continues. “We are delighted to award Dylan with a Fastway Community Service Award and extend our congratulations to him on his act of bravery.”
Fastway Couriers is currently celebrating 30 years in business.
