NewsBite

Military training helped hero cabbie during Bourke Street chaos

THE taxi driver who was called a hero for taking charge and helping the injured in the Bourke Street attack thinks it was his military training that helped him in the moment.

Cabbie in Burke St massacre insists "he's no hero"

THE taxi driver who was called a hero for taking charge and helping the injured in the Bourke Street attack thinks it was his military training that helped him in the moment.

The driver was mentioned in a viral Facebook post by student Henry Dow, who said he was thankful to be given some direction by Lou when tasked with helping a victim.

“Lou grabbed my hand and firmly told me to keep it together, that I was OK and that we needed to keep strong for this woman,” Mr Dow wrote on Facebook.

Lou believes his ADF training kicked in during the chaos. Picture: Seven News
Lou believes his ADF training kicked in during the chaos. Picture: Seven News

He assumed Lou was an “emergency services veteran” but found out he was a cab driver caught up in the chaos.

Talking on 3AW radio on Tuesday, Lou said adrenaline kicked in when he saw a car plough into pedestrians.

Lou suspects having trained at the Australian Defence Force Academy for a short time helped him keep a level head and direct those nearby.

“It was basically, right, this is what needs to be done, bang, bang, bang, you there, you there,” he said.

He began treating four people around him when his attempts to flag down police went unnoticed.

He saw an off-duty orthopedic surgeon using brochures to strap a woman’s leg, while workers from a nearby pharmacy rushed over medical equipment.

He ran up and down the length of the footpath seven or eight times, checking every single individual, he said.

Lou even made an effort to get water bottles for the police officers as they worked.

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/military-training-helped-hero-cabbie-during-bourke-street-chaos/news-story/a2e46882bb09b55d67afdf445b9a230f