A STUDENT who averted serious accidents in last year’s terrible winter is to be honoured in Huddersfield.
Chris George is among those to be recognised for bravery, commitment, dedication and professionalism by West Yorkshire Police.
Chris, 19, a former pupil at St Patrick’s RC School in Birkby, will receive an award for his efforts on a bitingly-cold evening in February as Huddersfield froze in some of the worst conditions for 30 years.
Three cars had crashed after sliding on the ice at steep Netheroyd Hill Road between Netheroyd Hill and Bradford Road before Chris leaped into action.
He stood in the centre of the road for two hours, stopping cars and turning them around to prevent more sliding down the road into the crash site near Bradford Road.
Police were busy dealing with the accidents and later praised Chris for preventing it becoming far worse.
Chris, a student at Aberdeen University, said: “I had been out to the shops and saw the accidents at the bottom of the road.
“It was terrible.
“The snow was coming down really heavily and it was so cold it was freezing on impact with the road.
“I knew if more cars went down that hill there would be carnage, so I stood in the middle and tried to stop them going down.
“One or two ignored me and started sliding, but they managed to steer into the kerb to stop themselves.
“Most heeded the warning and turned around.
“When it was over, a police officer came up to me and thanked me. I thought that was it and was very pleased, but then months later I got a letter telling me about the award. It’s a great shock.”
Chris, who is studying International Relations and Politics at Aberdeen, will be joined at a special ceremony in Huddersfield by his mum Maria.
His commendation states that his prompt and continuing actions “prevented further collisions and casualties, and ensured the safety of those involved in the incident”.
He will be presented with his award by Kirklees Police Divisional Commander, Chief Supt John Robins, at a ceremony to be held at the Galpharm Stadium.
