Man recounts horrors of Mandurah crash

John Trewhella was driving along Hackett Street with his dog Pippa on the morning of June 28, before a car smashed into the passenger side after running a stop sign, causing his Suzuki Vitara to land on its roof.

Mr Trewhella said he was knocked unconscious and did not remember the incident, but came to when he was suspended upside down, trapped in the driver’s seat.

Read More: Driver allegedly runs stop sign causing victim’s car to flip

“I remember being upside down and I was screaming and carrying on,” he said.  

Mr Trewhella said a bystander called Dave, who was working nearby, freed him from the vehicle.

“He got the door open, released the seatbelt and got me out,” he said.

“He made it his task to get me out of the car and possibly risked injury to himself.

“I was worried the car was going to go up in flames because the motor was still running.

“If it ignited, I would have been gone. I feel like the luckiest man alive and cannot thank Dave enough.”

He was treated for minor injuries. 

Mr Trewhella said Pippa was thrown through the window on first impact. 

“She obviously went flying past me and straight through the window…then she bolted,” he said. 

Pippa was later found at the foreshore and returned. 

Mr Trewhella said he would never have forgiven the driver if a family member was injured. 

“I can’t thank my lucky stars enough that my wife or my son weren’t in the car,” he said.

Mr Trewhella said he had experienced trauma from the crash and was angry with driver distraction. 

“I am still having nights where I am waking up in a sweat,” he said. 

“People have to realise they are driving a lethal weapon.”​

Mr Trewhella said he wanted to thank the people who came to his rescue including bystanders, police, rangers, emergency services and hospital staff. 

“It brings tears to my eyes knowing that I live in such a fantastic community where people just do it with out question,” he said. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”