BRAVE taxi driver Hafeez Ahmed saved a motorist from being burned to death after a horrific head on crash.

And now he has received an award from Lancashire's Chief Constable -- and the heartfelt thanks of the accident victims.

Mr Ahmed, of Irene Place, Blackburn, was driving his Goldline taxi on the Wheelton bypass towards Blackburn on March 22 last year when he came across the accident.

He saw one of the vehicles had burst into flames and began to help another motorist who had stopped to free the couple inside it.

When the flames and heat got too much, Mr Ahmed went back to his taxi and grabbed a fire extinguisher and piece of carpet which he used deflect the fire away from the face of car driver William O' Sullivan of Cardigan Avenue, Oswaldtwistle.

Two police officers, PC David Fletcher and PC Kevin Marshall, arrived and went to help Mr Ahmed and Alan Ward, the other motorist involved in the rescue.

It took more than an hour to free Mr O'Sullivan from the back of his wrecked Vauxhall Astra and both he and his wife Rebecca spent months in hospital. Chief Constable Pauline Clare awarded the force's commendation for bravery to Mr Ahmed as well as the two police officers and Alan Ward, who is from Bury.

She said: "It it had not been for the swift actions of Hafeez Ahmed, Alan Ward and the two police officers William O'Sullivan would have certainly been burned to death.

"By staying with the burning car and making repeated attempts to put the fire out, these men behaved with little of no regard for their own safety and it is with pride that we recognise their actions."

Father of three Mr Ahmed said: "I don't think of myself as a hero. I did what anybody would have done under the circumstances. "

On hearing of the awards, Rebecca O'Sullivan said: "We really can't thank them enough and are very grateful for what they did.

"This award is certainly very well deserved."

She said she and her husband had recovered well although they still need physiotherapy.

The driver of the car which hit the O'Sullivans was sentenced to three years in prison in January having been found guilty of causing death by reckless driving .

He was seriously injured in the accident and his passenger was killed.

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