Top Dudley cop crawled through wreckage and broken glass to save impaled van man
A senior Dudley policeman has been given a top award after crawling through the wreckage of a van to save a passenger's life after a horror smash.
Ch Insp Phil Dolby was first on the scene after two vans collided on Birmingham's busy Aston Expressway.
A passenger in one of the vehicles was crushed and impaled in the vehicle's bodywork.
But Ch Insp Dolby, now a DCI at Dudley, crawled through broken glass and debris to put the move his head so he could breathe.
The road into Birmingham was closed while the air ambulance landed, and CI Dolby stayed in his position after paramedics had arrived to give further aid.
At the time of the crash, on November 27 20913, at around 2.30pm, he was an incident manager.
He has now been handed the Royal Humane Society award by Chief Constable Chris Sims.
Inspector Richard Thomas, from force contact, nominated Phil and said: "His actions are in the best traditions of the police service. He placed himself into a potentially life threatening situation due the real possibility of a fire to save the life of someone who was in imminent danger."
Chief Insp Dolby said: "I am really grateful for this unexpected award. I did what I am certain any of my police colleagues would have been prepared to do and I must also recognise the fantastic work on the day by the other emergency services. This wider team worked really well together during this shocking incident."
