Sister thanks crash hero
THE sister of a Toowoomba man who was pulled unconscious from his burning ute has thanked the man who saved her brother.
Sandra Hunter flew from New Zealand with her parents after learning her 47-year-old brother Stephen Muirhead had been seriously injured when the ute he was driving collided with a tree in the early hours of March 10.
She said her brother had since been recovering in Royal Brisbane Hospital from multiple arm fractures and a fractured vertebrae, as well as burns to his back, arms and the back of his head.
"It's going to be a long recovery," Mrs Hunter said.
"They have done quite a few skin grafts.
She said her brother awoke from his coma last Sunday.
"He can't remember anything about the accident."
Toowoomba resident Wade Davidson heard the crash at the intersection of West and Nelson Sts and told The Chronicle he rushed outside his home to see a cloud of dust and smoke.
He said he pulled Mr Muirhead from his burning ute shortly before it was engulfed by flames.
Mrs Hunter said her brother, who works as a drilling fluid engineer, grew up in Canterbury in New Zealand and had been living with his fiancé in Toowoomba since last August.
She applauded Mr Davidson's brave actions.
"We just want to tell him that Steve's whole family is just incredibly grateful for being courageous enough to go and do that."
Southern Region Traffic Co-ordinator Inspector Bruce Dimond said police were investigating the circumstances which led to Mr Muirhead's crash.
