Former Chediston resident David Mantell saved the life of a drowning woman in the Thames!
David reports on his brave rescue...
Friday 19th August. I was walking with my wife along the Thames path adjacent to the bridge at Abingdon. After a short while another walker alerted us to someone in difficulties in the river. A woman had fallen in and had luckily managed to cling on to a tree branch overhanging the water but about 3m or 4m from the bank. I called the emergency services but before they could arrive the woman became very distressed and her head was getting lower in the water. It was clear that she was giving up and time was of the essence before she drowned. I stripped off shoes and top and dived in and swam to her. The river was amazingly deep, fast flowing and cold but I managed to support the woman keeping her head above the waterline. Eventually a couple of boats came to our aid and the woman was pulled towards and into a boat. I couldn’t haul myself on to the boat so swam back to shore. By this time all the emergency services had arrived in large numbers including a BBC film crew.
"The woman was treated by paramedics and put on oxygen and taken to hospital. I was told that she would have drowned had she not been rescued promptly. The police kindly escorted me back to my car and offered to drive me home.
I have now heard that although the NHS will not inform me or the police upon the condition of the woman (patient confidentiality) the police have said that if she had passed away they would have been informed so hopefully she survived.
Touchingly my daughter wrote on Facebook ‘Yesterday you put a stranger’s life ahead of your own meaning they got to see another day. Whilst others sat and watched, your actions actually achieved the greatest thing ever. Mega proud to call you my Dad and the girls Grandad’
My leisurely walk in Abingdon turned out to be rather adventurous!
Photo taken at the scene as I was wrapped in a blanket by the ambulance crew!
So no problems in 20 years in Chediston. Move here and knocked off my bike, my car damaged in a car park and now this!
