Hero Teacher Chalks Up Third Award For Burning Car Rescue

By Cara Sulieman

A TEACHER who risked his own life to rescue two men from a burning car is to get his third award for bravery.

William Lammie, 53, will join 50 others at the Brave@Heart ceremony next month where First Minister Alex Salmond will present him with the accolade.

It comes just six months after he received a commendation from Lothian and Borders Police at the Meritorious Awards along with a Society for the Protection of Life Against Fire award.

He teamed up with passer-by Cameron Bell to go to the aid of three young men in a car crash in West Calder in March 2008.

Fire

The silver BMW had left the road and crashed into a tree and was starting to catch fire as William, who lives in a house nearby, came out to see what had happened.

The physics teacher said that he and his wife, Bernadette, heard a screech before a large bang and knew that there had been a crash outside.

William said: “I saw a car had crashed into a tree and I rushed outside whilst my wife called the ambulance.

“There was a young man kind of dazed standing near the car and I got him away from the car before I went back.

“I could see that the driver was already dead and I went over to the passenger and asked if anyone else was in the car but he didn’t really make much sense.