Police reward West Midlands driver for rescuing a woman riding a mobility scooter on the A38 Aston Expressway
A driver spotted a woman driving a mobility scooter down the A38 Aston Expressway in Birmingham
The West Midlands Police Chief Constable has presented a man with an award after he helped to save lives during an incident in Birmingham last year.
In November last year, Paul Fletcher was driving his recovery vehicle on the A38 in Birmingham when he saw a woman riding a mobility scooter down the Aston Expressway.
From his training while working as a recover driver, Mr Fletcher realised the danger to not only the woman, but to other drivers in the area too.
Mr Fletcher immediately activated the yellow warning lights on his vehicle to alert other motorists to the danger, and also used his truck to shield the woman from other fast-moving vehicles.
After dialling 999, he was also commended for providing accurate location information to call handlers so that National Highways teams could activate overhead warning signs and implement speed restrictions on the route.
The recovery vehicle driver followed the woman off the Expressway, protecting her from driving until she pulled off at the 50mph at the next junction.
Mr Fletcher was presented with a 'Chief Constable Good Citizens Award' by West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford and the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Wasim Ali.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: "Our officers were then able to arrive and speak to her, to check on her welfare and remind her of the safe use of the scooter.
"Without Paul taking the quick-thinking and immediate actions he did to protect the woman, she and other drivers may have been injured or worse."
