Paul's award for rescuing a family from flooding vehicle

Coventry-based HGV driver Paul Hullet was recently awarded a Mark in Action award after rescuing a family from a vehicle that had driven into a rapidly-filling brooke.

It was around 4am that Paul parked his vehicle at a garage in Yorkshire, whilst he awaited his 7am collection back to Coventry. As he left his vehicle to use the bathroom he noticed a black Range Rover with its lights on, facing away from him.

Paul explained what happened next: “As I made my way over to the garage the car suddenly shot backwards at high speed, hitting a curb and flipping over the embankment, ending up on the driver's side in a swollen four-foot deep brook, which was filling up due to the heavy rain.

“I am 62 yrs old and have had many problems with my left knee in the past so for me to burst into action was a bit of a strain. I banged on the front passenger's window for them to open it as I tried to hold on. I could hear the screams of children and a woman's voice, but the door wouldn’t open.”

Paul used his torch to see that the children were free, but that the mother was still trapped in her seatbelt. Paul attempted to painfully break through the window with his leg and elbow but was unable to, until a man from the garage carrying a toolbox gave him a hammer.

After smashing the window Paul used a sharp knife from the tool box to cut through the seatbelt. With the car filling up fast Paul managed to help the family escape from the car safely.

Paul explained his actions and how they relate to everyday life: “I hate water and I can't swim, but the situation required me to act. I didn't realise really how close we came to drowning, until after about 30 minutes of getting the mother out the car it was completely covered in water. That was the moment we knew this was a lot closer than anyone had thought.

“Remaining calm and analysing situations accurately can help us make better decisions. We shouldn’t be afraid to stop, take a deep breath and ask for help. When you know that someone is suffering stress it can still be difficult to approach them, but they may appreciate you offering your support - we all need to be aware of what is going on around us.”

Paul added how Unipart is helping him excel: “The professional and friendly atmosphere that Unipart Logistics NHS is run on is unlike any other I’ve worked for in the past; a company is only as good as its employees. The management team at Unipart Logistics NHS Coventry are great to work for and looking forward to many more years here.

“To come down for the Mark in Action Awards was a true honour, and to see and meet those who lead this amazing company in person was a pleasure. Thank you so much for this Mark in Action Award; it's something I will always treasure.”

Kim Perks, Transport Manager, who nominated Paul said: “It’s great to know that we’ve got people working for us at Unipart that would drop everything to help a member of the public. I think Paul is amazing. It’s brilliant and great to know that a member of our team is one of our outstanding colleagues.

“We’ve now got his Mark in Action certificate on our wall, in pride of place for everyone to see how proud we are of Paul when they come in.”

The full Mark in Action ceremony from January 2024 is available to watch with this video link.

To nominate a Unipart employee or team for a Mark in Action award click here.

The next Mark In Action Ceremony will be held on 26th March 2024 - watch out for more communications next month!