Three quick-thinking Berkeley Institute students offered medical help and comfort to a pair of CedarBridge Academy pupils injured in a serious road accident yesterday.

Twins Sabryah and SharDae Seymour and friend Sherika Burgess, all 15, have first aid training that helped them tend to the CedarBridge boys whose bike was in collision with a truck on Cedar Avenue around 4.05 p.m.

Both the Police Service and Government praised the trio of 'Good Samaritans' for their work last night. Acting Minister for Education Dale Butler said: "I'm absolutely delighted to hear that rather than just walk by, they decided to use their training to help their contemporaries.

"That's absolutely outstanding. I will look out for their names so the Minister can send a letter of thanks and I'm sure the parents of the CedarBridge students will do the same."

According to the girls, the boys were riding east along Dundonald Street toward the junction with Cedar Avenue when the orange Honda bike they on came into collision with a blue truck coming along Dundonald Street from the west. They said the collision occurred as the truck was turning right at the traffic lights on to Cedar Avenue. The girls, who were passing on foot at the time, claimed the truck did not immediately stop after the collision and instead overtook a bus and ran a red light as it travelled on down Cedar Avenue in the direction of Victoria Street. The girls said they took down the licence plate number of the vehicle, which was chased by one of the boys' friends, and which they said did later return to the scene.

The trio know the two injured teens, who they said are aged 15 and 17, with the older one riding the bike at the time of the collision. Sabryah said the rider was semi-conscious when she got to him, and had a laceration to his head.

"I'm certified in CPR and first aid and I was holding his hand and squeezing it," she said, explaining that she tried to keep him awake. "His eye lids kept going down and he was not talking. He looked like he was hurting."

SharDae said that while her sister was doing this and Ms Burgess was helping, she looked after the 15-year-old pillion rider who was conscious and complaining that he had a broken left leg.

"It felt very good to be able to help," she said.

A crowd of onlookers ? mainly CedarBridge and Berkeley students ? gathered at the scene as Fire and Police officers arrived and tended to the victims. Some of those who knew the injured boys were visibly upset.

The victims were taken by ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. The 17-year-old was later discharged, and according to a hospital spokesperson, the 15-year-old was last night on a surgical ward. With a well-documented history of rivalry between the students of Bermuda's two public senior schools, Mr. Butler said he was glad to hear about the care shown yesterday.

"This bodes well for the future ? it's an indication that we do have by and large some helpful, co-operative pupils. These young people have demonstrated compassion and used their skills to comfort others," he said.

Although the Police were not in a position to give information about the circumstances of the incident by press time, spokesman Robin Simmons said: "The Bermuda Police Service would like to commend these young ladies for their actions in assisting the victims until medical help arrived."

Anyone with information should call the Traffic Enforcement Unit on 299-4265 or the main Police line on 295-0011.