Young crash survivor advises others to drive more safely

GROWING up, Richard Alcorn was mad about fire trucks – not the toy ones his friends had to make do with, but the real deal.

His dad, James, was a fireman and Richard’s very own personal hero. But just how much of a hero Richard wouldn’t really appreciate until, at the age of 19, his Opel Corsa car smashed into an oncoming Mercedes.

James was one of the first on the scene and managed to squeeze into the back seat of the mangled Corsa and secure his son’s head and neck until an ambulance arrived.