90 february 2020
photo^courtesyroydkennedy25 millimetres thick and made of
rubber reinforced with steel, the 600-
millimetre-square bags could each lift
a railway wagon 60 centimetres. They
slide one under each set of rear wheels
and began feeding in compressed air.
As the trailer moved, they slipped
in wooden blocks to keep it on an
even keel.
Royd felt Shirley’s pulse f lutter and
she closed her eyes, “Shirley, talk
to me!” he pleaded. She rallied for a
couple of moments but her pulse was
so faint now he could barely feel it.
She lifted her head and looked into
his eyes. “If I don’t make it, tell Mum I
love her,” she whispered.
“We’re losing her, Warby,” Royd
shouted. “Throw me an Air Viva!” He
put the mask of the portable resusci-
tator over Shirley’s face and forced airyou, Shirley,” he said. “Do you like
horses?” he asked, desperate to get her
talking again.
“I’ve never been on a horse.”
“When we’re out of here, I pro-
mise you a ride on my daughter’s
horse, Gilly.”
As Royd talked, he kept a finger on
Shirley’s wrist to check her pulse. Now
it was growing noticeably fainter and
more erratic. She’d been trapped for
nearly 40 minutes. Dear God, how
much more can she take?
With the wreck out of the way, Glass
was trying to lift the trailer off the girl.
He faced a knife-edge decision. A hy-
draulic jack would be quicker, but it
risked tilting the trailer, tipping out
more fuel and incinerating the pair.
“We’ll use the airbags. They’ll give a
straight lift,” Glass told his crew. OnlyAfter she had sufficiently recovered, Shirley got her promised ride on Gilly with Royd.