British racing driver Ollie Millroy, 36, has thanked rival Loek Hartog for pulling him out of a burning Ferrari at the China GT event at Shanghai International Circuit over the weekend. Millroy was trapped inside the car as it burst into flames and was rushed into surgery after the crash.
Rival's quick actions save Millroy
Millroy credited his survival to the quick actions of Dutch racer Loek Hartog, who 'stopped instantly' and 'risked his own life to get me out of the car.' Footage shows Millroy's car spinning out of control with smoke shooting from it. Hartog, 23, then jumps out of his car after stopping nearby despite the race continuing. He runs to Millroy's car, appears to remove debris, grabs a fire extinguisher, and pulls the British driver to safety.
The racer suffered six broken ribs, a broken clavicle, a broken hand, and a punctured lung, but admitted that it 'could have been much worse.' Millroy wrote in an Instagram post: 'I am still alive tonight, entirely thanks to one man. Loek Hartog stopped instantly with no flag marshals or fire crews in sight, and risked his own life to get me out of the car.'
Millroy's gratitude and Hartog's bravery
Millroy continued: 'I don't remember anything between 30 seconds before the crash and 1 hour after it, but I will remember his incredible act of bravery for the rest of my life. One day I will tell our three kids this story and Loek will be the biggest superhero in history in their eyes.'
Hartog, who is with Phantom Global Racing, said: 'When I saw a car turning into a huge fireball far ahead, there wasn't really a decision to make. From what I had seen, I genuinely believed the driver might not be able to get out by himself. I stopped, got out and went towards the car. There was never a moment of doubt. It was scary.'
Team criticises handling, investigation launched
Millroy's wife, Fern, thanked everyone for support as the dad-of-three was undergoing more surgeries in hospital yesterday, helping the family to 'keep pushing through this traumatic time of our lives.' She wrote: 'Despite the injuries and the challenges we are facing now, we can't help but feel lucky he's alive, and the overwhelming feeling that we all have is an enormous amount of gratitude and love towards Loek Hartog who saved Ollie's life.'
AAI Motorsport, Millroy's team, has criticised the handling of the crash and said it will no longer take part in China GT events, Sky News reports. An investigation has been launched to assess the emergency response, rescue operations and management, the organisers said.
