Three police officers who courageously gave life-saving first aid at horrific road collision recognised with Federation Bravery Award

12 May 2023

Three police officers who courageously gave life-saving first aid when they were first on the scene at a horrific road collision have won Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards.

At 1pm on 8 November 2021, two Essex Police officers, including Temp Sgt Rob Eveling were the first emergency services on the scene of a fatal traffic collision.

A vehicle had collided with a tree on the A12 in Colchester and was hanging precariously from the tree on the embankment. The officers saw that the driver and front passenger were unable to be assisted within the wreckage. The rear passenger was also trapped but alive, although her right arm was hanging out of the car, broken and bleeding copiously.

Further down the embankment another casualty was found; she had been ejected from the vehicle along with the engine block, which was now pinning her down.

The two officers quickly triaged the casualties and climbed down the embankment to give life-saving first aid to both of the injured people.

One of the officers applied a tourniquet to the trapped passenger’s arm and succeeded in stopping the bleeding. He stayed with her, holding her head and reassuring her while other emergency services workers extracted her from the vehicle, which took an hour and a half.

Special Constable Ant Phillips – who used to be a paramedic – arrived on the scene and assisted Temp Sgt Eveling in separating the engine block and the injured woman further down the embankment. They maintained her airway, supported her head and gave her medical attention, while paramedics and fire crews worked to extract her.

Incredibly the work of all the officers helped the two women survive.

SC Phillips said: “When I got there, I arrived and I saw a little red car, but I wouldn’t be able to tell you what it was until it was examined afterwards, because of the sheer mess of it, but it was quite literally wrapped around a tree.

“I primarily focused my best efforts to save both people. I made the conscious effort, before the ambulance service turned up, to take the engine block away from her pelvis. Because of where it was and because it was so big, it was pretty much crushing her diaphragm so she couldn’t breathe anyway. So, that needed to go, so me and two officers moved that.

“It was just a case of all of us working as hard as we possibly could, with the kit and the knowledge we had between us, to keep both people alive long enough for the helicopter to take them.”

Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie said: “These officers arrived on the scene before the specialist roads policing unit and acted bravely to put members of the public before themselves.

“It takes a huge level of bravery to go towards incidents like this and step forward to try and save someone’s life.

“Despite being at risk from the vehicle falling on them, they administered life-saving first aid in the most horrendous situation. I am confident that, without their intervention, the death toll would have increased.”

Laura added: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of all those affected by that terrible day.”

SC Ant Phillips – who is now a regular PC – will attend the Essex Police Federation Bravery Awards on Thursday 18 May.

At the event a winner will be announced who will travel to London for the National Police Federation Bravery Awards in July.

The lead sponsor for the Awards is The Northern Police Healthcare Scheme.

Also sponsoring the Awards are Rates Group, No 1 Copperpot Credit Union, Metfriendly, Slater Gordon, Flint House Police Rehabilitation, Uniform Mortgages, THB Legal, George Burrows, Arc Legal and Police Mutual.

The hashtag for the event is #EssexFedBravery.