ONE of two men who rescued a young woman from her car just seconds before it turned into a fireball said he knew that car was about to explode.
Wayne Parsons, was hailed a hero after the crash that saw him and another passing driver pull 21-year-old Amie Hardy free of her smoking car after it crashed off the road.
Amie, a catering assistant at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital, suffered a broken shoulder and cuts and bruises in the crash while her partner Jack Sheridan, 19, escaped with minor injuries
The accident happened near the Teignmouth golf course and Mr Parsons,35, was heading to Teignmouth to visit a friend.
He said: "I came around a bend and there was the car off the road. The accident had just happened.
"I could see the car was smoking and there was a man trying to crawl out the back window.
"The car was really smoking and I knew it was going to go up in flames. I know a bit about mechanics having worked on cars and running my own courier business. You could see it was going to go up any moment.
"I pulled up and ran to the car. Another chap stopped too and came to help.
"We managed to yank open the door it was jammed by the impact . We then grabbed the young woman and pulled her free.
We didn't hang about. Here legs were clear and she was dipping in and out of consciousness. We pulled her free and I just hope that wasn't how she hurt her shoulder.
"But we didn't have time to mess about. The flames had started and I knew we had to get her well clear because when they blow they really go.
We got her back to my van and that's when the car went up with a bang and was a fireball in no time.
"If she had been in there she wouldn't have survived .
"I am just glad we were about and able to help."
Amie's mother Claire had appealed for through the Echo for the two men who saved her daughter to contact her so she could express her heartfelt thanks.
Visiting Amie in hospital in Exeter, Claire said: "I am so grateful to Wayne and the other man . They needn't worry about anything. We know that if they hadn't got Amie out as quickly as they had she would not be here today and that's all that really matters.
"2he is recovering really well but the doctors have found that as well as a broken shoulder she has two cracked vertebrae at the base of her spine.
"She will be in hospital until at least Christmas but the doctors and staff are amazed at how well she is recovering"
If you know the identity of the other mystery hero of the accident contact Mike Byrne on 01392 442238 or mbyrne@ expressandecho.co.uk9
