AN AMESBURY man has received another award for his bravery at a ceremony in Salisbury.

Luke Ridley, 30, was presented with a bronze medal by the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire at a presentation at Salisbury Fire Station on Friday last week, following his actions at a road traffic collision in November 2018.

The tree surgeon was on his way to work in his van on the A303 near Solstice Park on the morning of Friday, November 23 when he saw a Nissan Micra leave the road and end up in bushes by the side of the road.

The car had rolled over onto the driver’s side, trapping the occupant, and Luke immediately pulled his van over and went to help.

He was advised by the Police Control room to get something from his van to break the windows with, so he ran back to get a pickaxe.

It was with this that he managed to get the boot open and then speak to the driver inside. She was conscious and disoriented but could not get her seat belt off.

A fire had started to develop within the vehicle.

Luke acted quickly and used a hand saw from his own vehicle to cut the seatbelt. He managed to encourage the driver to reach into the back of the car where he then pulled her out and to safety.

Luke was also presented with a Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation at this year’s Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service awards ceremony in May by Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell, and the Queen’s Gallantry Medal in September.

Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell said: “The Queen’s Gallantry Medal is awarded for exemplary acts of bravery and the Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation is the highest award I can offer to a member of the public for acts of outstanding bravery, selflessness or courage in the face of adversity. In exceptional cases, I will also make a nomination to other bodies for recognition.

“Luke’s actions embodied the values of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and I’m extremely pleased that the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire has also taken this opportunity to recognise him for his incredible bravery on that day.

“It was my honour to make the presentation of a bronze medal on their behalf.”

Last November, Luke told the Journal: “I don’t think I really had time to think about it. I was get in, get out. I was lucky to be in the right place, at the right time with the right tools”.

He added: “It was a pretty surreal Friday morning”.