Two Langley brothers have been awarded the Vancouver Police Board’s highest civilian honour, the Certificate of Merit, for their roles in saving a life in August 2014.
The two were among a larger group of individuals and officers honoured for acts of bravery during a ceremony at the Roundhouse Community Centre on Tuesday.
In August 2014, Brian and Graham Haddon were driving with their family along Marine Drive during the morning rush hour, on their way to the Vancouver airport. The brothers were en route to the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland, a trip that they make annually to compete as members of the SFU Pipe Band.
As they passed beneath the Knight Street overpass they heard horrific screams coming from a female motorcyclist who had just been run over by an SUV driving down the ramp.
The Haddon family knew they needed to help.
“I could see she was pinned under the front of the SUV,” said Brian on Tuesday after coming home from the ceremony.
“When you see something like that, a switch just flips and you move into action. I think it helps that my parents are both first responders so it’s what we’ve always known and seen.”
The family car pulled over and both brothers jumped out, running back into traffic to help lift the SUV off the motorcyclist.
Together with their father and another motorist they were able to provide enough space between the woman on the ground and the car that she could be pulled out.
“The traffic was heavy and moving quickly at that time of the day, and we were very concerned that all of the people involved at the scene had the potential to be injured by the passing cars being driven by distracted drivers, most looking at the rescue effort instead of the road—some even taking pictures with their phones as they drove past at 60 km/h,” recalls mom Lori Haddon.
“It was a very dangerous situation for everyone involved.”
During the rescue Brian sustained a burn to his calf from the exhaust pipe of the motorcycle while holding the SUV up in the air.
“It hurt but I knew I had to keep lifting the car,” he said.
Once the motorcyclist was out of danger on the side of the road the Haddons rendered first aid until the Vancouver Fire Department crew arrived. As soon as the VFD took over her care, the family got back on the road in time to make the flight to Edinburgh.
The Haddons found out later that the motorcyclist sustained only minor injuries, thanks to them.
“It was definitely one of the more memorable trips to Scotland,” said Brian. “My leg was bubbling a bit through the flight.”
Brian, 20, is a third-year health sciences student and hopes to become a Vancouver police officer.
Graham, 19, is a second-year arts student, but is studying sciences and math, with the goal of pursuing a degree in biomedical physiology and kinesiology. After he completes his degree at SFU he will train to become a respiratory therapist.
The pair said the award is a “great honour” and that they were two among many others who had stepped up to save a life.