Valiant rescuers thankful for bittersweet badges

Despite not being able to save one of five women from a fiery crash in April 2022, Keith Nugent and Ruel Grant remained grateful yesterday after receiving the only two Badges of Honour for Gallantry at King’s House on National Heroes Day.

After collecting his award from Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and returning to the lawns, Nugent’s grim countenance betrayed thoughts he harboured of the one life he and Grant were unable to save.

That person was Patrisha Brown, a 58-year-old resident of Port Maria in St Mary. Brown and four other women were travelling in a car which overturned along the Rowlandsfield main road. A fire started in the engine and while four occupants were rescued, Brown perished as she became engulfed in flames.

In a previous Gleaner interview, Nugent said he would be accepting the award during the Ceremony for the Investiture of National Honours and Awards with mixed emotions.

Grant was more upbeat after collecting his medal.

“I have always been doing good for people. I feel good now that I am awarded for one good deed,” the farmer told The Gleaner.

He recalled driving some distance behind the ill-fated car on his way home and witnessing the moment it overturned.

“I backed up my car one side and rushed to the car, and when mi look, I peeped under the front of the car and in the engine [area], a little fire started to blaze ... . Mi open di back door, and mi push it up in di air, but the force of it push it back down because of the weight, and mi push it again with more force and mi see some people,” Grant recalled.

NOT AN EASY RESCUE

He then saw Nugent and beckoned to him to stop.

Grant said it was not an easy rescue mission.

“It was a wicked sight, but mi still try fi save some a dem, so that was a little victory,” he said.

He will never forget the moment when the third woman, who was the eldest occupant, was lifted out.

“She did kinda a move slowy, slowy. That time di fire a prop up more, y’know. ... Mi bawl after di woman and rough her up and ... hold her and pull her outa di car,” Grant told The Gleaner.

He said that more people eventually stopped at the scene and wanted to turn the car upright, but the fire prevented that.

“We just couldn’t manage to turn over the car, and there was nothing we coulda do. One youth all bruk di glass, and hold on pon di woman foot and a try draw her out, but she couldn’t come out because no space never deh deh fi she come out,” he recalled, adding that the car was engulfed in flames shortly thereafter.

“We were unable to help her ... . She was at the bottom on the vehicle, and it’s like she got pinned down in the vehicle, and the vehicle was on fire, so we had short time to do what we were trying to do,” he said.

With the nation formally recognising him on Monday for his selfless act of kindness, he was very excited and appreciative.

“In terms of knowing that I was there and was able to save some people, I feel good in myself. I’m a God-fearing person, so I always try to do my best and as I can, and for as many people as long as I can, so in terms of that, mi feel good!” Grant told The Gleaner.