Driver 'lucky to be alive' after M40 horror crash blaze
By the time the father of two was dragged from the wreckage a quarter of his body was covered in burns.
But thanks to the rapid treatment he received from paramedics, Paul has made a remarkable recovery – and on the first anniversary of the accident he visited Warwick Ambulance Station to thank the crew for saving his life.
Mr Mizen said: “In my eyes ambulance staff are true unsung heroes. I wanted to come back and say thank you to them personally.
“Ambulance service staff do a wonderful job that usually goes unnoticed and I am extremely fortunate not to have lost my life in that crash.”
Paul was delivering fresh doughnuts in November last year and was battling through bad weather near Gaydon on the M40.
At around 6am his van was hit from behind as he sat stationary in snow. It was crushed between two giant lorries and caught fire.
Thankfully nearby motorists managed to drag him clear of the fireball, but not before he suffered extensive burns to the left side of his body, including his arm, head and torso, and internal burns from smoke inhalation.
When paramedics arrived they treated Paul with specialist burns packs before taking him straight to the regional burns centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, saving valuable time.
Paul, from Ashford in Middlesex, said: “I remember the impact, then the fear and reality of being trapped, before the HGV in front was moved, enabling me to free my foot.
“I obviously suffered serious burns and was in excruciating pain.”
Paul was treated at the scene by paramedic Andy Hall, emergency care practitioner Mandy Morrice and student paramedic Chris Salt.
Andy said: “When we arrived at the crash it was a scene of utter carnage. The van was on fire in between two HGVs.
“Thankfully Mr Mizen had been pulled from his vehicle and was around 100ft away but it was obvious he was seriously injured as he lay on the motorway.”
Paul spent nearly eight weeks in critical care and more than three months in hospital, undergoing several skin grafts.
Visiting the ambulance crews this week he treated staff to a supply of the same fresh doughnuts he was delivering at the time of the accident.
Mandy said: “We don’t often get to see patients again and see how their recovery is going. It’s always satisfying to see that they have made a good recovery and we have made a small difference to their life.”
