Hazchem heroics
Page 6
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• United Transport Tankers' driver John Reason helped to prevent a disaster when he witnessed a recent M6 collision between a coach carrying 27 children and two trucks loaded with chemicals.
Reason, who works from UTT's Tilbury depot, pulled his own tanker over to the hard shoulder as soon as the crash occured and ran to the scene. He discovered the French driver of one of the trucks (carrying barrels of paraffin), could speak no English and had no paperwork identifying his load.
Using his Hazfreight training, Reason identified the chemical load and advised the police how to disperse the spilt paraffin. He also pulled two children to safety from the wreckage of the coach. "We are very proud of John for his quck and selfless reaction," said John Rowbotham, UTT's safety manager. "He has set a fine example of how effective safety training can very much reduce the danger of chemical spills." ' One of the vehicles involved in the crash was a Tankfreight tanker carrying a load of caustic soda, none of which leaked. But 44-year-old driver James Townsend, who works out of Tankfreight's Widnes depot, received injuries including a broken nose and jaw.