Stephen Harris, a 36-year-old father of four from Ton Pentre, was inside his Land Rover Discovery when it exploded and burst into flames on a busy Cardiff road. He suffered severe lung damage and was hospitalized for seven hours.
The Incident
Harris was driving towards a busy roundabout from the Central Link road when his car began to falter. Smoke started coming from the engine, and he noticed his brakes weren't working. He prepared to crash into a barrier but the car juddered to a halt and then kicked back into normal.
Heading towards Tyndall Street, Harris pulled into the left turning lane to find a safe place to stop. As he stopped at a red light, the car began making awful noises and smoke billowed from under the hood. Within seconds, the car exploded with a boom while he was in the driver's seat.
The Rescue
Martin Hancock, the driver behind Harris, noticed smoke filling Harris's car and rushed to help. He found Harris slumped over the steering wheel and dragged him from the burning vehicle just before the front tyres exploded. Hancock helped Harris breathe and poured water over his face to wash his mouth out.
Harris recalled: "I thought I was going to die. But Martin saved me and I want to thank him for that." He also thanked the manager of the Novotel hotel in Cardiff, who provided a wheelchair and a foil blanket while they waited for emergency services.
Medical Aftermath
Paramedics at the scene advised Harris to go to hospital, where he was treated for unsafe levels of oxygen and CO2. An X-ray showed scratches on his lungs. He spent about seven hours at the Royal Glamorgan hospital before being cleared to go home. He said he still felt unwell and was coughing up soot from his lungs.
Harris expressed relief that his four children—Connor, 8, Frankie, 4, Mila, 2, and eight-month-old Axel—were not in the car. "They don't have to mourn me," he said.
