Openreach engineer to the rescue

Ex-Royal Navy engineer praised by people in road accident

Tim Denley, an engineer from Openreach, BT’s local network business, came to the rescue at a road accident in Chichester.

Tim arrived at the scene on the B2141 just after the accident involving two cars and his quick thinking earned him praise from the drivers involved.

Tim said: “I arrived just after the accident and wanted to avoid any further incidents. I parked my van at an angle so as to protect the people in the car and then did as much as I could to help the people involved in the accident. I was glad to be able to help, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”

David Reed, from Petersfield, who was involved in the accident, was quick to applaud Tim’s actions. He said: “He was calm and cheerful throughout, a total credit to Openreach. We want to thank Tim again for his outstanding help and spontaneous public service.”

After parking his Openreach van to protect the cars, Tim helped the flow of traffic on the one remaining single lane. He offered first aid, found time to make cups of tea for the three people involved and insisted on waiting until a recovery vehicle arrived.

Tim, an ex-Royal Navy engineer, served six years and toured countries such as Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt. He joined Openreach as an engineer last year, is 33 and lives in Bognor Regis. A significant number of engineering jobs have been taken up by ex-service men and women, continuing the company’s long-standing relationship with the UK Armed Forces. Openreach has recruited more than 2,000 former servicemen and women over the last two years.

Gary Grixti, Tim’s manager at Openreach, said: “We’re very proud of Tim, he really is our superhero. It’s always good to hear of examples where our engineers go the extra mile. I’m sure his calmness under pressure had something to do with the time he spent in the Royal Navy.”