Award for off-duty officer who helped at crash scene
He helped multiple victims
Last updated 31st Mar 2017
GMP Police Officer, Gavin Johnson, has been awarded for stopping to help at the scene of a serious road traffic collision while he was off-duty.
Gavin helped multiple victims and managed to control the situation until emergency services arrived.
PC Johnson was travelling to West Yorkshire with his wife when he spotted smoke rising in the distance. As he drove closer, he could see it was a serious, multi-vehicle collision and it had just happened.
There were various injured people, some lying down by the roadside, others trapped in their vehicles. One car had veered into a ditch with a person trapped inside and had smoke coming from the engine.
Without second thought, Gavin rushed to the scene. Several passers-by had stopped to help, but upon seeing so many different casualties, Gavin knew he needed to take control of the situation. He wanted to make sure the casualties were dealt with properly, safely and in order of priority.
When West Yorkshire Police arrived, Gavin assisted one officer by giving chest compressions to an injured male. Despite their best efforts to save him, Gavin was informed he later passed away.
About the award, Gavin said: “It is great to be given an award for my actions, it means a lot. To be honest, stopping to help was a gut reaction; there was no way I would have ever just driven by. I was glad I could help, it’s just so sad that someone lost their life.
“It was amazing to see so many passers-by all come together to help people out like they did. I just wish it could have had better results, but it could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for us acting fast and helping out before the emergency services could arrive.”
Gavin was awarded for his bravery by Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling at an award ceremony at Hough End.
Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling said: “This just goes to show that police officers aren’t just officers when they are on duty, it is part of their everyday lives and I am really proud of the commitment Gavin showed to people who needed him that day.
“It takes a lot of courage and dedication to act the way he did, especially when you are not on duty, you are not expecting to find yourself in a situation like this. Thank you Gavin for representing Greater Manchester Police is such a professional way.”