Hero dad drags woman from flooded river after thinking she was a mannequin

02 January 2024 , 15:43

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Colin McGarva saved a woman from a flooded river on New Year's Day (Image: No credit)

A brave dad has recounted the gripping moment he rescued a woman from a flooded river.

Colin McGarva, 31, was strolling with his dog in Worcester on New Year's Day when he spotted the woman, thought to be about 50 years old, motionless in the freezing River Severn.

Originally thinking she was a mannequin, Mr Mcgarva soon realised it was a person, and jumped into the fast-paced river with a life ring before heroically dragging her to the shore. Colin said: "I looked closer and realised it was a real person. I thought she was dead."

He continued: "I was shouting 'hello!' But there was no response. I saw her move slightly. Her eyes opened." The lettings company director noticed there was nobody else around and attempted to flag down a passing car but to no avail.

The life ring Colin McGarva used to rescue the woman near the Sabrina Bridge in Worcester (No credit)

Colin, from Worcester, said: "I looked closer and realised it was a real person. I thought she was dead. I was shouting 'hello!' But there was no response. I saw her move slightly. Her eyes opened. That's when I realised 'She's not dead'. I looked around but nobody was around. I tried to flag down a car. It didn't stop.

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"The water was freezing. I just had to do it. There was no second thought. I am absolutely fine though I'm getting a bit emotional talking about it now. I just grabbed her and dragged her to the side. I had the ring in my left arm and I grabbed her with my right and pulled her towards the ring."

Colin said he'd felt compelled to act after realising just how perilous the situation was (No credit)

Before he plunged into the river, which had breached its banks due to Storm Henk, Colin handed his German Shepherd, Cuma, to a nearby woman. The bystander had urged him not to venture in, but Colin said he'd felt compelled to act after realising just how perilous the situation was. Later, he returned home to his partner and their 11-month-old son and revealed how he began the New Year, saying: "It was a bit of a shocking start to 2024."

Police said a boat crew and a fire engine attended the scene but the woman was already out of the water by the time they arrived (No credit)

A spokesperson for Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said a boat crew and a fire engine attended the scene near the Sabrina Bridge but the woman was already out of the water by the time they arrived. It is understood she was then taken to hospital, but Colin didn't find out her name and is hoping to be reunited with her when she's given the all-clear.

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Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas