Truck Driver Hero

Tolaga Bay logging truck driver Neville Green had nearly 30 years of driving experience and up-to-date first aid training to swing into action.

Early on a mid-June morning Neville was taking a pre-load of logs south on State Highway 35 from his Tolaga Bay home to the Eastland Port in Gisborne. It’s a familiar run for Neville in the 2018 Kenworth T659 he drives for Pacific Haulage.

“The port opens at 4am so I left home about three-ish. It was about 3.20am when I was climbing up the hill which we call B5. I keep my lights on low beam going up there because it’s easy to blind the drivers coming over the top of the hill,” says Neville.

“In the moonlight I could see something up ahead and as I got closer, I could see four tyres and the underneath of a car sitting on its side. All its lights were out.”

Neville says the car was sitting across the centre line of the highway with a significant amount of debris and broken glass strewn across on the road.

“I pulled up, switched my hazards on and put my lamp on my head before I jumped out. About the time I got to the car another truck was coming the other way and it stopped.

“When I walked around the car, I could see the roof was caved in, the windscreen was all smashed and then I could see a hand.

“The driver’s side window had blown out and when I peeked in, I could see there was an older guy in there.

“I called `are you alright in there?’ and I heard him groan.

“I ran back to my truck to get my gloves and started to remove the windscreen. I could see he had a big gash on his head, and he was bleeding profusely.”

Neville made sure the other truck driver had called an ambulance and had the scene under control, then he found jackets that had been inside the crashed car.

“The guy was hanging from his seatbelt across to the passenger side with his head kind of up against the roof.

“With my left arm I tried to prop his head up and I used my right hand to hold the jackets and apply enough pressure to slow the bleeding.

“It was about half an hour later the fire brigade arrived and cut the roof off.”

Neville has been back at home on the East Coast for about three years after driving trucks and road trains in Australia for 20 years. He’d previously driven for Pacific Haulage before heading to Australia.

“I have been at a lot of accidents, and I’ve done a lot of training both in Australia and at Pacific Haulage,” Neville says.

“One time in Queensland I pulled a guy out of a car that was on fire. He was KO-ed.”

He says a combination of training and experience kicks in when faced with an accident.

“The adrenalin kicks in and you secure the scene and work out what to do next from there,” he says.

This story has a much happier ending than some of the accidents Neville has attended.

“After I drove into town, got rid of my load and went over to my daughter’s house to have a rest. By then the adrenalin had gone and that can be a funny thing.

“I decided to ring the hospital. I told them what had happened, but they’re not allowed to give out any details. But they did ask if I wanted to give my details to the family.

“Within about half an hour I had a call from them thanking me and saying the guy would be okay.

“That’s the biggest difference for me with this accident. The guy was in hospital for a while, but I knew he was going to recover.

“Other times I never knew what happened and that can really affect you.

“Knowing he was going to be okay made a really big difference for me,” Neville says.

“I was up early and off to work again the next morning.” T&D

being up-to-date with First Aid training.

“Like many businesses in the forestry and transport sectors, Pacific Haulage recognises that there is an increased likelihood of our staff encountering a situation requiring First Aid treatment during their careers,” says Mitchell James, Pacific Haulage Operations Manager.

“This is why we put a heavy emphasis on all our staff maintaining current First Aid and we organise three to four First Aid courses per year to ensure everyone is current.

“In this instance, Neville really came into his own when he came across the vehicle on its side in the early hours of a winter morning. He assessed the scene before returning to his truck to get his leather gloves, and then returned to the injured driver to assist and support them until help arrived.

“Neville is a thorough worker who takes pride in his role, and it was reassuring to hear that the First Aid training had paid off when he described to me how he treated and supported the driver inside the vehicle until emergency services arrived.

“It’s comforting for us as a business, and all road users alike, to know we are sharing the roads with people like Neville who know how to react and assist when things go wrong.

“I think anyone who has received First Aid care from the general public or emergency services will agree – you are forever grateful for the care you receive when you need it most.” T&D

Pacific Haulage places a strong focus on First Aid training for its staff.