Qld: Woman dives from moving vehicle to escape fireball
By David Barbeler27 Jan 2009 2:33 PM
BRISBANE, Jan 27 AAP - A woman has jumped from a moving car and her husband has suffered burns after a fireball from an exploding LPG gas cylinder engulfed their vehicle.
The couple were driving along Proston Road, at Proston, 280km north-west of Brisbane, around 1pm (AEST)on Monday when one of two gas cylinders in the back of their vehicle exploded.
The 49-year-old husband, who was driving the vehicle, attempted to slow down as the fireball engulfed the inside of the vehicle.
The fire intensified and when the car slowed down to 40km/h the woman followed a suggestion from her husband and jumped from the car.
The husband then pulled up a little further down the road and exited of the burning vehicle.
The fire service, ambulance service and police were immediately called and attended to the injured couple, who have lived in Australia for three years after migrating from New Zealand.
The Energex Community Rescue Helicopter was called and pilot Andrew Caton flew the couple to the Royal Brisbane Hospital.
"This is certainly an unusual situation which I've never seen before," Mr Caton said.
"The husband is the real hero here, he has suffered significant burns to all of his limbs and if he had not told his wife to jump out of the vehicle when she did, she would have suffered at least as much as he did.
"As it turns out, she came out of this situation with only minor abrasions."
The man was discharged from the Royal Brisbane Hospital on Tuesday morning.
