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Montville woman in line for bravery award |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 22 August 2005 |
A Montville citizen who heroically pulled two people from the wreckage
of a blazing car has been recognised for her bravery by Queensland's
Courier-Mail newspaper. Linda Kruger is one of three finalists in the
bravery category of the paper's Pride of Australia Award and will be
whisked away for a presentation lunch at Customs House Brisbane on
August 26. The Courier-Mail will announce the winner the following
Monday.
In November of last year just before her 50th birthday Linda and her friend Glenys Hazell were driving home on the Mapleton-Nambour Road. As they rounded a corner they saw a horrific head-on smash between two cars ... one quickly burst into flames.
Both ladies said they could see two female occupants struggling in the mangled wreckage of the burning car. And while Glenys asked other motorists for a mobile phone to call the police, that's when Linda displayed her feat of immense bravery and kindness. "What spurred me on was that I could here the woman screaming," she said. "My adrenaline was pumping and I just reacted ... I wasn't even thinking of what I was doing I just did it."
Linda saved the lives of a mother and daughter that day. Having already pulled the mother from her car, she went straight back to the flames and saved the woman's daughter who had been driving and got stuck trying to escape from a shattered drivers side window.
Sadly the sole occupant of the other car was a fatality. He was knocked unconscious by the collision and his car soon became an inferno which took the fire brigade two attempts to put out. Newspaper reports at the time stated the youth was driving under the influence of alcohol, had no licence and no insurance. "The worst thing about the whole incident was the loss of the young boy," Linda said. "Some of his friends arrived on the scene and tried frantically to save him but there was nothing they could do."
A statement by the Queensland Police - a Nambour Accident Investigation report - concluded Linda's "actions were commendable in assisting the occupants" adding that she "could have quiet easily placed your life at risk from possible incineration" and without her intervention it "could have been a triple fatality."
And as to the reward Linda nobly played it all Down. "I just did what anybody would have done, I mean, it's not like you do these things to get awards," she said. "But I'm really buzzed about it ... Glenys and I haven't been down to Brisbane for about two years so we could do with a good night out!"
Photo Above: Linda Kruger, left, and Glenys Hazell ... "I just did what anybody would have done, I mean, it's not like you do these things to get awards," Linda said.
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Range News 2005 - ON 
