Benwick horror crash heroes receive top national life saving honours

Two heroes who saved a nine-year-old boy drowning after a van he was in crashed into a drain at Benwick and ended upside down and submerged have been awarded top national life-saving and bravery honours.

The horror crash happened on the morning of February 8 this year in Whittlesey Road. The van driver lost control on a corner and the van went into the river, coming to rest upside down with the passenger compartment completely submerged. The driver managed to escape but the young boy who was with him remained trapped in the vehicle.

Adrian and Christopher Moulding, who lived nearby, rushed to the scene, taking a crowbar and other tools with them. When they arrived they found that the boy was trapped and realising that time was fast running out if he was to be saved, they ignored any risk to themselves and went into the water.

Then, using just the crowbar and a Stanley knife, they fought a life and death battle to reach the boy and free him. They managed to force their way into the van using the crowbar and used the Stanley knife to cut him free.

When an ambulance arrived, the boy was taken to hospital and put into an induced coma for several days. However, thankfully he went on to recover.

Now Adrian and Christopher have both been awarded Royal Humane Society Testimonials on Parchment for saving the boy’s life.

Adding his personal praise for what they did, Andrew Chapman, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said: “But for the speed with which they reached the scene and their courageous action in going into the river and fighting to get the boy out he would almost certainly have been drowned.

“They did a superb job and as a result a life was saved. No praise is too high for them. They richly deserve the awards they are to receive. They were true heroes.”

Mr Chapman added: “We are always anxious to receive nominations from anyone who knows some-one who has saved a life and who they believe merits an award from us. We suspect quite a few people responsible for acts of bravery and life-saving don’t always get put forward for our awards and as a result don’t get the public recognition they deserve.

“If any readers know of anyone they think should receive an award they can submit a nomination using the form found on the Royal Humane Society’s website.”

The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back more than two centuries. The Queen is its patron and its president is Princess Alexandra. It is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.

It was founded in 1774 by two of the day's eminent medical men, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan. Their primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.

However, as it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved, and today a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.

The Society also awards non health care professionals who perform a successful resuscitation. Since it was set up the Society has considered over 87,000 cases and made over 200,000 awards. The Society is a registered charity which receives no public funding and is dependent on voluntary donations.

It was one of a select number of organisations to receive a donation from the Patron’s fund which was set up to acknowledge work done by organisations of which the Queen is the patron, to mark her 90th birthday.