Hastings’ Spiderman rescues couple whose car burst into flames

Lucy Day, 36, from Eastbourne, was driving to hospital with her partner Stephen Grant, 39, – after he accidentally cut off his finger in a lawnmower – when the family car suddenly burst into flames on Saturday (September 30).

Forced on to the side of the road, the couple and their three-year-old daughter Millie were stranded and in desperate need of help when a man dressed in a full-body Spiderman suit stopped to offer his assistance.

“You have to laugh,” said Lucy, “When your having a bad day and suddenly you see that.

“I did think it was a bit strange, but in the heat of the moment I wasn’t really thinking about it.”

The couple were rescued by children’s entertainer Tom Roche, who works for Party Time Wishes and was heading to work at a children’s birthday party whenthe drama unfolded.

Tom, 24, from Hastings, was on his way to the party with his girlfriend Kelly Bayman, 30, when they saw Lucy drive past at high speed.

He said, “We could smell unburnt petrol and could see smoke pouring out from under the car. It was like something out of an action film, I was expecting the car to explode at any second.

“We tried flagging them down and when they stopped I was shouting at them to get away from the car.

“We called them over to us and they got in the car. She was saying ‘we need to go to hospital’, so we drove over there as quick we could.

“All this while I was dressed in a full-body latex Spiderman costume.”

The couple were able to get to Eastbourne DGH where doctors successfully reattached Stephen’s finger.

The cause of the fire in the couple’s Land Rover is still unclear although fire services believe it may have been a mechanical fault.

Lucy, who is 22 weeks pregnant with her second child, said, “We’re concerned that a relatively new vehicle with a reputation for safety and reliability should fail in such a dramatic way.

“The fact we couldn’t get an ambulance is worrying. It goes to show there is something really wrong with the care available in Eastbourne.”

The couple tracked down Tom after the incident to offer him and his girlfriend their thanks,

Lucy said, “We are so grateful for their help. He was only a young guy and I think he was a bit shaken up by the whole thing. I really want him to know how much it meant.

“I also want to thank Steve from the A and E who took me and my little girl to the shops to get some sweets while we were in the waiting room. It was such a little thing but it made a really big difference to us.”

PICTURES SUPPLIED BY PARTY TIME WISHES

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