Officer who pulled injured man from M40 honoured

An off-duty police officer who dragged an injured man from a busy lane of a motorway has been honoured with a bravery award.

Thames Valley Police's PC Henry Johnson was travelling home on the M40 from a shift in Maidenhead at 07:00 GMT on 14 January 2023 when the incident occurred.

He pulled over as he saw the man jump from a bridge on to the carriageway, before pulling him away from traffic on to the hard shoulder and providing first aid.

He has been recognised with a Thames Valley Police Federation 2025 Bravery Award, which he will officially receive next week.

Recalling the events, PC Johnson said it had been "raining, freezing cold and pitch black".

He said he slowed down as he saw the man walking on a bridge because "something told me that it didn't look right".

"My police intuition made me slow down, so I could see his face and see if he was alright."

The man ignored PC Johnson's shouts to him, before climbing over the barrier and jumping on to the busy motorway.

PC Johnson, who by this time had stopped and called his colleagues for support, ran into lane one, took hold of the man - who was seriously injured - and dragged him to safety.

"We were on the hard shoulder, with lorries whizzing past us," he said.

"I had to keep myself low down, and I just kept updating the control room and waited for officers to get there."

Following the arrival of police and paramedics, the man was taken to hospital, where he remained for more than a month whilst recovering.

PC Johnson said he felt "honoured" to receive the award.

"Loads of officers do really amazing things every day, but I always think that I just did what every other officer would do in that situation," he said.

Thames Valley Police Federation chair Aileen O'Connor added that PC Johnson was a "life-saving hero" who was "incredibly brave".

You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.