When his mum fell unconscious while driving at 60mph, 12-year-old Zac Howells sprang into action and saved their lives. On Monday he will receive the Pride of Britain Child of Courage award for his bravery.
Seeing his mum collapse while driving, Zac reached over and grabbed the wheel to steer their car to safety. The 12-year-old’s calmness prevented a potentially devastating crash and saved lives, including his and mum Nicola Crump’s.
Quick thinking on the A40
Nicola, 38, who worked in a children’s home at the time, was driving him to a Christmas market in Warwickshire from their home in Ebbw Vale last December. They were travelling at 60mph on the A40 in Herefordshire when Nicola began feeling unwell. She managed to slow the car and steer it half off the road on to a narrow verge before she passed out.
Nicola says: “I was going up to a market just past Birmingham. I still had shopping to do, so I asked Zac to come with me. Things changed within minutes. I said, ‘Zac, I feel hot’. I said, ‘Zac, I don’t feel well, I need to pull over’. I was panicking. Is anyone going to see me in time? That’s all I remember.”
Zac says: “It was like any other drive, listening to music, it was just like normal. But all of a sudden she just looked really flustered.”
Bringing the car to a stop
Nicola passed out. With the automatic gearbox still in drive, her foot jammed on the accelerator and the car veered back out on to the dual carriageway. Zac recalls: “All of a sudden, the car started to speed up really fast. I was like, ‘That’s not like her at all’. I started screaming, and I looked over and she was just passed out. It was terrifying. There was confusion. It was all up to me. Either I stop the car or we’ll be going into a tree or fly over the banking. I just knew I had to bring us to safety somehow.”
He leaned across and grabbed the steering wheel, crashing the car into the central reservation to bring it to a stop, before turning off the engine and calling 999. Zac says: “I was just keeping the car straight, then I just started drifting towards the central reservation. And that’s where I started bumping it off and scraping it to a stop.”
Remaining calm, he used the car’s satnav to pinpoint their location for the emergency handler, allowing police and paramedics to arrive quickly.
Praise from police and a proud mum
Chief Insp Julian Smith said: “The thing about Zac’s action that immediately stood out to me was just how calm he was. It could have led to a multi-car pileup. That moment of terror must have been incredibly scary. Then what Zach did was to phone 999, realising he was still in danger. Having taken that lifesaving action, he wasn’t thinking about himself. You can hear him reassuring his mum, it was just incredible. That combination of courage, clear thinking, and compassion is beyond exceptional.”
On Zac’s 999 call he can be heard saying: “I’m driving on a motorway, and my mum’s fainted, so I had to crash the car to stop. I’m really scared.”
Nicola, who was unconscious for around seven minutes, was found to be suffering from extremely low blood pressure and is awaiting further cardiology tests before she gets back behind the wheel. She says: “It must have been really frightening for him. He just knew he had to do something. When I woke up I could see the blue lights coming towards us and I was really confused. Zac was physically trembling but he kept saying, ‘I’m fine’. He was just worried about me. I just feel so lucky to know that he was there to look after me that day.”
Proud Nicola will be cheering Zac on when he is presented with his award on Monday at the Mirror’s annual ceremony at Grosvenor House in London. She says: “He literally saved our lives and who knows who else’s lives. He must have felt so scared but he’s so humble. He thinks it was a normal thing to do. He is a remarkable son. He is definitely a hero.”
The Pride of Britain Awards will take place on 19th October, before airing on ITV and ITVX from 22nd October.
