An Enfield private hire driver has been hailed a hero after his racing instincts helped him avoid a falling tree and save his passengers from serious harm.
Terry Williams, a former racing driver who has spent the past ten years working for Oakwood Cars, was transporting two women on the A404 between High Wycombe and Amersham at around 9am on Wednesday, 3 September, when the dramatic incident occurred.
Quick thinking on rural road
As a large tree began to fall across the carriageway, Williams made a split-second decision that he says came from his days on the track. Instead of braking, he accelerated and swerved into the opposite lane, narrowly avoiding the main trunk.
The vehicle was struck by smaller branches, leaving the windscreen shattered and passengers covered in glass. Despite the shock, all three walked away unharmed.
“We are quite lucky to be alive,” said Williams, who lives in Bush Hill Park. “My instinct was to accelerate rather than brake, to minimise the damage. If I had stopped, the tree would have come down on us far harder.”
Passengers call him a hero
One of the passengers, Susan Jamson, praised his actions: “Terry was amazing and really did save our lives. We will be forever indebted to him. He is a hero.”
Williams, who followed his father into motorsport before moving into the private hire trade, credited his calm response to his years behind the wheel in competitive racing.
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