Senior Constable Ash Purvey nominated for a Pride of Australia Heroism medal

WHEN this man saw an unmanned ute heading towards a busy intersection, he made the heroic decision to block the car’s path with his own vehicle.

WHEN Senior Constable Ash Purvey saw an unmanned ute heading towards a busy intersection, he made the heroic decision to block the car’s path with his own vehicle – risking his own life to save others.

The decision by the father of two young boys to put himself in harm’s way to protect others resulted in his nomination for a Pride of Australia Heroism medal.

On March 31, two men led police on a wild car chase through Brisbane’s southside, ultimately leaping out of the moving car when road spikes punctured the tyres.

“My first instinct as a dog handler is: ‘They are mine now; I’m going to go after them’,” he said.

“Then I saw the car was still coming.”

He drove into traffic and around a bus, ready to try to block the ute which was now an unmanned and lethal weapon.

As the out-of-control ute continued down the hill, he turned right and deliberately collided with it on his passenger side, stopping it.

“I wasn’t really thinking too much, other than the car is going to hit the intersection and it’s not going to end well,” he said. “But I didn’t realise it was going to hurt so bad.”

Fuelled by adrenalin, he helped chase the offenders, who had fled on foot.

“Once the first guy was caught … I couldn’t move because I’d hurt the top of my back and neck,” he said.

He was taken to the Mater Private Hospital with concussion and later underwent minor shoulder surgery.

“Looking back, you think, you idiot, that could have gone real bad. But you just have to.”

DO YOU KNOW A LOCAL LEGEND? NOMINATE THEM FOR A PRIDE OF AUSTRALIA MEDAL