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Brothers perform heroic act on way to pipe band competition

Two Langley brothers helped save a trapped motorcyclist.
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Two brothers from Langley have been honoured by Vancouver police for helping lift a car off a trapped motorcyclist.

Brian and Graham Haddon, both members of the SFU Pipe Band, have received the Vancouver Police Board’s Certificate of Merit, the highest honour given to civilians.

The brothers and their family were en route to the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland in August, 2014.

As they passed under the Knight Street overpass they heard screaming.

A motorcyclist, waiting to merge onto Marine Drive, appeared to have been run over by an SUV.

The brothers saw the woman, still straddling the motorcycle, pinned under the larger vehicle.

The entire family pulled over and Brian and Graham, along with their father and another motorist managed to lift the SUV enough so that the woman on the ground could be slid out.

Brian sustained a burn to his calf from the hot motorcycle exhaust pipe during hte rescue.

“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-plus kph,” said the boys mom, Lori Haddon. ”It was a very dangerous situation for everyone involved.”

The Haddons gave the injured woman first aid until the Vancouver Fire Department crew arrived.

Because they still had a flight to catch, as soon as emergency responders arrived, the Haddons climbed back in their car and headed for the airport to catch a flight to Edinburgh.

Both brothers have been members of the SFU Pipe Band since they were seven and five years old.