Brave duo race to rescue; Heroes save woman in a runaway car.

Byline: Rob Kennedy

AGROCER and a passer-by were hailed as heroes last night after rescuing an elderly woman from a runaway car.

Kelly Maughan and Gerard Robinson - known as Ged - heard screams as the Citroen family car careered out of control, on Victoria Road, Concord, Washington yesterday.

Still trapped inside, the female passenger cried out for help as her husband was dragged along the ground from the still-open door.

It is not clear how the driver came to be on the ground outside the vehicle.

But eye-witnesses have told how quick-thinking Kelly reacted by catching the wheel from outside the car and guiding the silver hatchback past the parked cars it seemed certain to hit.

With no experience of driving, the 25-year-old did not know how to stop the car as it rolled towards concrete bollards at the end of the street, leaving the driver in the road behind it.

Ged sprinted the width of the village centre to throw himself in front of the car.

After trying to stop it with his hands, the 42-year-old jumped behind the wheel and pulled on the hand-brake inches from impact.

Even in the desperation of the moment the have-a-go-hero retained enough composure to say "Excuse me pet" as he took the wheel from Kelly.

Both returned to help the injured driver, left lying in the road by the accident. Ged, of Wessington Terrace, Concord, said: "I'm proud of myself I think. It was good to help someone.

"I just didn't think. I just did it. I saw the woman screaming, her face was white. I could see her inside the car and she looked panicked.

"I could see Kelly running by the car but she couldn't stop it. I just ran over and tried to push the car back but it had too much momentum.

"Then I just said excuse me pet and pulled the hand-brake on. We checked the wife was OK then went back to help the man up. He had a nasty gash on his hand." Kelly, added how her boss had dubbed her 'Superwoman' since she swept in to save the day.

"I think anyone would have helped. I couldn't believe it when I saw the car go past with the man being dragged.

"I shouted to the taxi driver stood behind 'What shall I do?' He told me to grab the wheel, so I managed to steer it around a few cars, but because I've never driven I didn't know how to stop it, I couldn't find the hand-brake.

"Then Ged appeared and we managed to stop it hitting the barriers.

"The couple were obviously both very shaken. I think it was a real shock for them, but they did say thank you." Last night it was unclear what led to the close-encounter. The engine of the car is not understood to have been switched on during the episode.

Neither police, nor paramedics were called, but it is understood the shaken couple did not appear to be seriously hurt and took themselves to hospital, leaving their car behind.

The commotion drew crowds gathering into the street with offers of help and pats on the back a-plenty for the heroes. Witnesses have said the unnamed couple are understood to have stalled on a narrow stretch of the road.

CCTV footage appears to show the male getting caught in the door as he was climbing out to push the grey Citroen out of the path of traffic waiting behind.

He can then be seen caught in the door and being dragged with his legs flailing under the car for up to 20 metres. When he was eventually shaken loose his hand was caught under a wheel.

Passer-by Bob Willey, of Coach Road, Washington, looked up just in time to see the heroic duo sprint to the rescue, then helped tend to the injured driver.

He said: "It was so alert of them, they reacted so quickly. It's very commendable.

"I was just stood talking to my mate when I saw Ged running across.

"It's a good job they were there mind, otherwise who knows what could have happened."I saw the woman screaming, her face was white. I could see her and she looked panicked

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QUICK THINKING Kelly Maughan and Ged Robinson who saved the day yesterday.