Leaping into action in what was far from a normal chain of events has lead to this Piara Waters woman receiving special recognition for her daring efforts at an awards ceremony earlier this month.
Samantha Laine was driving to work in peak hour traffic along Nicholson Road near the Warton Road roundabout on June 6 when a car crashed into her driver’s side door before continuing to drive past her vehicle.
Shocked but not injured, Ms Laine said she could see that the driver of the other vehicle was having a seizure and was not in control of her car.
“I proceeded to stop my car and ran after the lady’s car that was still travelling, although at a slower speed, I then opened her passenger side door, engaged her handbrake which stopped the car in the middle of two lanes of traffic,” she said.
Ms Laine then ran over to the driver’s door and found the woman unresponsive and foaming at the mouth.
“I yelled at another vehicle to call an ambulance and placed the lady into the recovery position, checked to make sure she was still breathing and that she wasn’t choking on anything,” she said.
“The lady continued to have spasms and I monitored and reassured her until the ambulance arrived approximately eight minutes later.
“The paramedics checked the lady and then took her away in the ambulance.”
The woman spent the day in hospital for treatment, while Ms Laine escaped with no injuries.
Ms Laine said the woman was on her way to work just like herself and it was like any other day when the crash occurred.
“I think being involved in a situation like this stresses the importance of having some basic first aid skills to be able to help in a situation like this,” she said.
“I also think people should remember to try and assist others where they can, I think a lot of people hold back due to the fear of legalities these days.”
Ms Laine has since been recognised for efforts that day, receiving a Royal Life Saving Society WA gold medallion bravery award at a special awards ceremony earlier this month.
She said it was incredibly humbling to be recognised for the award.
“While I understand the situation isn’t something that occurs everyday and could have been potentially worse, I felt like many people would of acted in the same way had they been in that position,” she said.
“After being involved in the accident I proceeded to organise a first aid course at our local primary school to ensure more people had the opportunity to learn the valuable skills needed to assist in a situation like this.”
Ms Laine was one of 45 heroic individuals to be recognised for their courageous efforts state wide at the Royal Life Saving Society WA bravery awards ceremony, which was held at Fraser’s Kings Park on October 11.
