Accidental heroes
Published: April 20, 2007
FROM whistleblower to lifesaver, Buangor’s Trevor Oliver just can’t seem to keep out of the news.
Mr Oliver was pictured in the Geelong Advertiser yesterday for his role in helping save the lives of two men involved in a fiery crash on the Bacchus Marsh-Geelong Rd but his name has appeared in plenty of newspapers in recent years.
He captured national media attention in 1999 when he blew the whistle on the price-fixing scam that had robbed Ballarat motorists for years, calling the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission after he began getting phone calls from his petrol distributor telling him what price to charge for his petrol.
The CFA said Mr Oliver and the other men who helped save a 60-year-old Melton man and a 38-year-old Geelong man from perishing would be considered for bravery awards.
The other men were Ballarat’s Steve Gill, Melton’s Brendon Flanigan and Belmont’s Fergus Jackson.
Other people who helped at the scene included Angela Cations and Renee Carter.
Mr Oliver yesterday put his quick actions at the crash scene down to his experience in the heavy-towing business.
“I lay in bed last night thinking would I have done anything differently, the rule is you don’t move anyone at a car accident but I think that went out the window when the car was on fire,” Mr Oliver said.
“I’ve always been one to sum up things pretty quick, just because of my heavy-towing experience. Sometimes in that you’ve got to be pretty quick thinking and make a decision on the spot,” the Western Truck Towing manager explained.
He said 20 plus years of involvement with the Buangor CFA had probably also equipped him well for the emergency.
Fergus Jackson said yesterday that he saw the impact of the crash, describing it as “mind-boggling”.
He was one of the courageous men who pulled a 60-year-old from the burning vehicle and towed the second van away to prevent it catching fire and saving the 38-year-old man trapped inside.
Mr Jackson said he spent the next half-an-hour with the trapped man until he was freed from the wreckage by the SES.
He said the van was on its side and the man’s feet were trapped under the steering wheel.
“We were holding his back, shoulders and his head up until they cut the side of his van out,” Mr Jackson said.
Mr Jackson said he left the accident scene after the man was freed so he could go see his daughter, a policewoman, who was working at a roadblock directing traffic away from the incident.
An Alfred Hospital spokeswoman said both accident victims were in a stable condition yesterday.
The 60-year-old was transferred to the Alfred Hospital with chest and head injuries in a serious condition.
The Geelong man was flown to the Alfred with serious chest injuries and fractures.
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