‘Absolute heroes’ - mum and baby pulled from burning car
Published: May 20, 2005
A central Victorian couple have been hailed heroes after they pulled a mother and her baby from a burning car at Marong yesterday.
The quick-thinking actions of Darren and Kerry Southon may have saved the lives of Annette Johns and her infant son, David, after the car they were travelling in crashed into a tree and burst into flames.
The Southons were on their Wilsons Hill Road property when they saw the vehicle lose control on a deserted stretch of dirt road.
The couple rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers and rescued the mother and son from the burning car.
Nursing a burnt hand and visibly shaken, a humble Mr Southon told The Advertiser he had just done what any person would have in such a situation.
“We were in the paddock - I had just come home for dinner and was letting the dog out,” he said.
“I saw the car go past and then heard this awful bang.
“When we got there, the car was on fire - I just got the woman out of the front of the car and my wife got the baby out of the back.”
Mr Southon then called emergency services.
He and his wife waited with Ms Johnson until paramedics arrived, while the couple’s two daughters looked after David.
Ms Johnson suffered critical head injuries in the crash and was flown to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where she remained in a critical condition late last night.
David suffered shoulder bruising and was taken to the Bendigo Hospital for observation. He was later discharged.
Sergeant Peter Beaman, from the Bendigo Traffic Management Unit, was full of praise for the Southons’ heroic efforts.
“How do you put it into words, other than to say they are absolute heroes?” he said.
“The couple were about 400 yards away when they heard the bang.
“If it wasn’t for their quick thinking, it would have been a double fatality.”
CFA operations officer Tim Scott said the car was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene.
“If the Southons had not pulled the mother and baby out, they would be dead,” he said.
“It’s just so lucky they saw the crash.”
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