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As roaring flames threatened to ignite hundreds of litres of spilt petrol, motorist Jason Tripe dived into the back of a burning car in a desperate bid to free the trapped driver.
Credited with saving two lives at the scene of a horrific Easter weekend accident, Tripe had already pulled 18-year-old Jordan Craig, who was unconscious, from the backseat of a crumpled Hilux.
With 3m-high flames threatening to engulf the car and petrol pouring from a boat behind the ute, the Blenheim winemaker braved flames and choking smoke to free Jordan's father, 55-year-old Bruce Craig. The driver's door was jammed shut, so Tripe went in through the back of the car, wrenching the driver's seat away to pull Craig from the burning wreckage.
But yesterday, Tripe shrugged off his role in the drama, telling the Herald on Sunday he was "no hero" and that he hadn't stopped to think before putting his own life in danger.
"The driver was stuck in there, and the fire was quite close to him. It was very smoky, and they were very badly injured. That was a bit of drama. The car was so badly damaged that I had to break the seat down to get him through the back. I don't really know how I did that, I just pushed it around.
"It's not a conscious decision, when you just want to help someone. I didn't notice the flames, but it was really urgent, and the smoke was more of a problem. It was burning plastic."
Bruce and Barbara Craig, from Christchurch, and their son Jordan were driving the ute to Blenheim with their boat in tow when a campervan hit them shortly before 9am on Good Friday - the first Easter fatality on our roads.
One of the occupants of the campervan, Adam Birdsey, a 23-year-old English tourist, died at the scene, and four fellow travellers - David McCallum, 23, Ian Mills, 22, Dean Clark, 22, and Samuel Barber - are recovering from serious injuries in Wellington and Blenheim hospitals.
Jordan and Bruce Craig are still in critical condition after being airlifted to Wellington hospital.
Tripe was one of the first at the crash site and tried to douse the flames in the ute's engine with a small fire extinguisher, with the help of two locals.
As his attempts to control the blaze became futile, Tripe opened the back passenger door and pulled out the unconscious Jordan.
Sergeant Mike Irving, of Blenheim police, said more people would have died without the quick actions of Tripe and others, including former nurse Debbie Matthews.
