by Andy Gray

agray@thekmgroup.co.uk

The astonishing courage of an ambulance worker has led to him being nominated as a London 2012 Olympic torchbearer.
Colleagues of emergency call taker Gary Moore put him forward for the once-in-a-lifetime honour after his incredible recovery from a horrific car crash.
Gary, 49, who works at SECAmb’s emergency despatch unit in Coxheath, suffered multiple injuries in the accident and spent 10 weeks in hospital where he endured three heart attacks.
Amazingly, just three months after the crash, he threw away his crutches to marry fiancee Jane in April.
One month after the wedding, despite being in constant pain from his injuries, Gary also returned to work.
It was this fortitude that helped him survive the accident which happened as he drove along the A20 near Maidstone.
Gary, from Canterbury, was returning home from a night shift in January when a collision with a tree left him trapped in his burning car.
Luckily, former fireman Ian Ridgers who works at nearby Leeds Castle heard the crash and raced to the scene.
He managed to pull Gary from the flaming wreckage seconds before it exploded.
Suffering from serious back and chest injuries, Gary remained conscious throughout the ordeal.
He said: “I knew how serious it was and I remember triaging myself as the fireman was talking to control.
“I just refused to die.
“I was told that I kept saying loudly, 'I refuse to die, I’m not going to die.’ Throughout I kept thinking of my fiancée, Jane. She kept me alive.”
Gary was rushed to Maidstone Hospital where he was taken into intensive care.
He was later transferred to a London hospital before being admitted to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
The accident cost Gary some of the use of his left arm which means he struggles to dress himself. But he insisted he’ll be fit enough to carry the flame should he get the chance.
If successful, he will be one of 8,000 torchbearers chosen to take part in the relay in the run up to next year’s Games.