With the speed of motorway traffic, drivers have little time to avoid disaster – but quick-thinking cabbies became lifesavers when a woman fell on to the carriageway from an overhead bridge.
Details of the traumatic incident remain unclear, but Euro Weekly News reports that the taxi drivers’ prompt actions saved the life of the woman, as well as the lives of other drivers who might have been involved in a tragedy.
Quick-thinking
The incident happened when the woman fell from a Costa del Sol footbridge over the A7 motorway last month. It is believed that she was returning home from the Fuengirola Fair when she fell on to the hard shoulder of the motorway below at 3.45am on October 10.
Dozens of fair goers called the emergency services, but Euro Weekly News reported that a passing PHV driver was the first to discover her and his quick actions helped prevent a disaster.
The news site said: “On seeing the woman, one of the drivers, an Uber driver, stopped his car in front of the woman’s body in order to protect her from the traffic.
“He then flagged down a taxi driver who stopped beside the cab and radioed his colleagues to come to the scene and help.
“Together, they managed to safely stop oncoming traffic on the stretch of the motorway at an exit for Fuengirola. In doing so, they prevented the injured woman, who fell on to the hard shoulder of the road, from being run over and the lives of others in their vehicles being put at risk.”
Danger
It is difficult to imagine how quickly events unfolded in front of the drivers and how much danger they were in as they tried to protect her. They did what comes naturally in wanting to help others, but put themselves in harm’s way in order to stop her being hit by fast-moving traffic and avoiding a major incident which could have seen others seriously injured or even killed.
Emergency services – who were present at the nearby fair – took just four minutes to arrive and secure the scene to make sure the woman could be assessed and treated by ambulance crews. She was taken to hospital for further treatment, but the nature of her injuries has not been reported.
The fact that no one was hurt or killed in this incident is entirely down to the bravery and quick thinking of the taxi drivers on scene. Had they not been there, she could easily have been struck by an approaching motorist who was unaware of the danger.
We have previously covered stories about brave taxi drivers whose actions have meant the difference between life and death, such as Abdul Javeed, who pulled an unconscious driver from a burning vehicle after a crash and administered first-aid before continuing on with his fare.
It is because they are on the front line and care about the communities they serve that the Rapaid charity has partnered with thousands of cabbies across the countries to put military-grade emergency bandages into taxis to help save lives wherever they are needed.
The drivers involved in the Costa del Sol incident probably didn’t have time to think about what they were doing, but knew someone was in immediate danger and reacted instinctively to the situation in front of them.
Their bravery deserves to be recognised and it is hoped that the woman they rescued makes a full recovery.
