The young man who freed the trapped driver of a truck which collided with a tram in Parkville on Monday morning, hospitalising 14 people, says the injured man was not to blame.
Cable hauler Saul McCausland, 21, was on his way to a job and was driving behind the soil truck on Elliott Avenue when he witnessed the smash with the route 58 West Coburg tram about 8am on Monday.
Mr McCausland jumped out of his truck to come to the aid of the driver who was trapped in his vehicle after his truck rolled several metres.
"The lights were green and they were going through the lights when the last thing I heard were brakes screeching," he said.
"I saw the truck being sent 30 metres off the side of the road.
"The tram must have malfunctioned. The truck driver was not at fault."
He said he jumped out of his own vehicle while it was still moving to rush to the man's aid.
"I just dived in. I pulled out the windscreen and dived in to help him," he said.
"I was helping him out when the dashboard collapsed on his leg.
"I pulled apart the dash which got one leg free. I ripped apart the dash a bit more and got the other leg free."
Yarra Trams are preparing a statement. It is unclear whether signal functions at that particular tram stop played a role in the crash.
Mr McCausland said he moved quickly to free the man as his truck was leaking diesel fuel from its engine.
Trained in first aid, he said he kept the driver chatting to prevent him from going into shock.
"I called his boss because he was in shock and worried.
"The ambulance took about five to 10 minutes so I stood with him and chatted and kept him going because I didn't want him to go into shock. I'm a first aider."
"I'm just doing what anyone else would do," he said when asked if he considered himself a hero.
Mr McCausland said he saw one passenger with serious facial injuries in the wake of the crash.
"She had an absolutely horrible gash to her head," he said.
Paramedics treated 29 people for mostly minor injuries at a triage area set up at the scene.
Fourteen people were taken to hospital, including three to The Royal Melbourne Hospital, four to St Vincent's Hospital, four to The Alfred hospital and three to Footscray Hospital.
The remaining injured did not need further treatment.
Elliott Avenue remains closed in both directions as emergency services clean up the site.