Surrey officer wins bravery award after saving driver from burning car
PC commended for bravery during A281 collision
A Surrey police officer is being celebrated for his exceptional bravery after rescuing an unconscious driver from a burning vehicle on the A281 moments before it exploded.
PC Jay Wakefield was declared South East regional winner at the 31st Police Federation Bravery Awards.
The incident took place on 27th June 2025 when PC Wakefield, on duty in an unmarked police car, witnessed a head-on crash between a car and a skip lorry. Following the impact, the car rebounded across the carriageway and onto the verge, where it quickly ignited.
Realising the driver was trapped and unresponsive inside, PC Wakefield acted immediately. With the driver's door jammed due to the collision, he accessed the car through the passenger side, managing to force the door open and entering the smoke-filled cabin.
In challenging conditions of intense heat and smoke, PC Wakefield released the driver's seatbelt and dragged him across the centre console as flames began encroaching on the vehicle's interior. Overcome by smoke but recognising the danger, he further relocated the driver with the aid of bystanders to a safer spot.
Once out of immediate danger, PC Wakefield placed the man in the recovery position and began a preliminary assessment. A nurse on the scene then assumed care, allowing PC Wakefield to secure the area and attend to the lorry driver, helping him access medical support from Army medics who had intervened.
PC Wakefield coordinated road closures and directed responding emergency services, including the air ambulance arrival. Both drivers were hospitalised, and despite the crash's severity and subsequent fire, the car driver’s injuries were confirmed as non-life-threatening.
Surrey Police Chief Constable Tim De Meyer praised PC Wakefield: “Had it not been for the courage of PC Wakefield, a life would have been lost. His bravery, skill and composure exemplified the best of policing. Surrey Police could not be more proud of him.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “It is important to pay tribute to the extraordinary service the police deliver for our nation. Most of these acts will never be known to the public, but they won’t be forgotten by those who were there to see them.
“Today is a chance to thank them, on behalf of the whole country, for the danger they face and the lengths they go to keep the rest of us safe.”
Police Federation National Chair Tiff Lynch said: “I have no doubt that, as with nominees in each of the previous 30 years, if asked about the circumstances that led to their nomination, they would say they were simply doing their job – that their actions were nothing special.
"Well, it is not just part of the job. The courage shown, the split-second decisions made, and the willingness to put themselves in harm’s way for others go far beyond what most people are ever asked to do.”