The South African motor industry lost one of its kindest and most altruistic souls with the death of road safety advocate and emergency response pioneer Philip Hull at his Gauteng home on 6 September reports IOL.
Hull (70), or Dr Phil as he was affectionately known by many, served as a medic on many industry events and launches, but his involvement in road safety stretched far deeper. He co-founded the South African Road Safety Foundation, through which he championed systemic changes in road safety, and also started Community Medical Services.
The latter initiative led to him saving countless lives at Van Reenen’s Pass as a voluntary paramedic and transformed many more through his community outreach projects, one of which resulted in life-changing surgery for a disfigured girl who was too shy to even look at people.
As tributes poured in on social media after the news of his untimely passing, it became clear that many lives were touched by his generosity over the years.
Black mambas and malaria
After a personal tragedy during his third year studying medicine at Wits University, Hull had become a game ranger in the Thuli Block, News24 reports. During this time, he became one of the very few people to survive a black mamba bite, requiring months of hospitalisation and recovery.
After recovering, he was part of the team that established the world-renowned Sabi Sands conservation area. Cerebral malaria forced Hull to leave his game-ranger vocation and engage in a corporate career.
Faithful to his original calling to study medicine, he established MediTrac, a bracelet alert system for South Africans with specific medical issues.
After creating Community Medical Services in the early 1990s, Hull developed a profound dedication to road safety and emergency response.
Always on call at Van Reenen’s
Hull stationed himself at the top of Van Reenen’s on most long weekends and holiday periods for more than 40 years, volunteering his medical services free of charge, despite facing numerous funding challenges, and also assisted stranded motorists in all types of inclement weather conditions over the years.
In 2004, he was joined by Barry Niemand, who became a regular volunteer over the holiday periods, and in more recent times, by Oliver Wright.
But their work has extended well beyond the saving of lives on that treacherous pass.
The team also led community outreach projects in the area, raising money to perform much-needed upgrades at schools and donating essential items like shoes and beanies.
There were 11 rural schools that Hull and his team supported in the area as far as they could, and they also initiated a few child-feeding schemes during the summer holidays, when children do not have access to their usual school-time meal.
During a school visit many years ago, Hull noticed a small girl whose face had been partially disfigured in a freak accident. She was shunned by her fellow schoolmates and had become so shy that she refused to look at people.
Feeling that something had to be done for the child, Hull made numerous inquiries after returning to Gauteng, and eventually managed to convince a renowned plastic surgeon and a private hospital to offer their services free of charge.
The surgery was a success, and her life went back to normal. A far cry from the shy girl who cowered away in the presence of people, she is now studying to become a teacher.
Through the SA Road Safety Foundation, Hull also passionately advocated for broader systemic changes to road safety. Among his many potentially game-changing proposals was the establishment of a National Road Safety Authority, co-funded by government and the private sector, which would harness combined resources and expertise.
Real-world experience
From snow on the N3 to fog, and heavy transport trucks suffering mechanical failures descending Van Reenen’s, Hull experienced it all. Even the best statisticians, data scientists and road engineers were often humbled in conversations with him.
The sheer depth of his real-world accident scene experience meant he had exceptionally acute insights into crucial issues in South African road safety and risk. His principal motivation was that vehicle travel shouldn’t be lethal.
Hull had responded to more high-consequence accident scenes than most and always presented the compassion and analytics required. As a founder of the road safety foundation, his mission was based on the belief that everyone who embarks on a vehicle journey has loved ones expecting them at the other end.
Decades of patrolling the N3 during Easter Weekend and the year-end peak season gave him insights that the brutality of pure accident statistics missed. He was one of the few individuals in the transport, medical, and auto industries who actually understood how accidents developed, having spent many years observing high-risk driving behaviour and responding to its consequences.
Human factors, such as driver distraction and fatigue, compounded by an overestimation of driving ability and an underestimation of risk, were constant issues Hull raised during road safety awareness campaigns.
An unquestionable legacy
A regarded voice of authority when accident data and road safety initiatives were discussed, Hull was also deeply familiar with the auto industry.
He provided medical support for local vehicle launches, testing sessions, Gerotek, and Car of the Year. This allowed Hull to remain up to date and current with the latest automotive technology trends and innovations, operating in a feedback loop with local motoring media.
Hugely affable in person, despite the seriousness of his lifelong experience with severe vehicle accidents and onsite paramedic response, Hull possessed the rare ability to hold opposing points of view on any subject, balanced in a debate.
Perhaps the truest mark of his legacy is the encounters Hull had over the years with strangers.
On one occasion, Hull was inquired for by name and found himself face to face with a stranger. The stranger detailed a specific crash incident involving a family with a young boy decades ago.
Hull recalled attending to this crash, which was very severe. The man, by now married with children, responded: “I was that boy.”