A SECURITY guard is being hailed a hero after pulling a badly injured teenager from a smoking car. Sam Tetteh, 30, was on duty at the Total garage in The Oval, Stevenage, when he heard the car carrying three youngsters slam into the concrete safety barrie

A SECURITY guard is being hailed a hero after pulling a badly injured teenager from a smoking car.

Sam Tetteh, 30, was on duty at the Total garage in The Oval, Stevenage, when he heard the car carrying three youngsters slam into the concrete safety barrier surrounding the roundabout in Martins Way at the junction with Verity Way on Wednesday night last week.

He immediately raced across the road and, fearing the car was about to burst into flames after seeing smoke coming from the engine area of the Renault Clio, he carried the badly injured driver to safety.

Mr Tetteh said: "I heard a big bang and rushed over to the scene. There were three boys in the car but two were able to get out themselves. The other boy couldn't move. He was shouting 'help me'. I broke the door open and broke the seat to get to him. I carried him out and held him with one hand while I called the emergency services."

He said the paramedics told him he had saved the boy's life by laying him down on the floor because he was lying in a dangerous position in the car after the crash.

Mr Tetteh told The Comet: "My point of view is that you should always help someone when they need you. I was only doing what I had to do. That is me. I am delighted to have been able to help."

Total station manager Amber Abernethy said: "He is a hero because he ignored his own safety and pulled the guy out when there was smoke coming from the car.

"Thankfully there was no fire. If there was, the car could have exploded."

The roads around the incident were closed for two hours as police traffic officers investigated the incident.

The badly injured youth, aged 17 and from Stevenage, was detained in Lister Hospital where he underwent surgery.