Three Severn Trent workers have shared how they helped save the life of an elderly woman who fell into a river.
Will Middleton was driving his works van when he spotted an elderly woman in the River Derwent near the Witches Oak site in Derbyshire last year, following heavy rain.
He stopped and called for help from nearby colleagues, Daniel Smith and Fahren Tansley, before tying a rope to himself and his van and bravely wading into the water.
His workmates quickly arrived and helped pull the woman from the river. The men then used a Severn Trent first aid and rescue kit, along with their work fleeces, to keep the woman warm until an ambulance arrived.
She was rushed to hospital, and the three large-diameter mains technicians later learned that she made a full recovery following the incident last February.
The modest workers played down any ‘hero’ labels, saying anyone would have done the same.
Will, 22, described spotting the woman in difficulty as he drove past the river near Severn Trent’s Witches Oak site:
“I stopped the van and could see she was in real trouble, so I rang Dan and Fahren for help, then took off my boots, tied the rope to myself, and started wading out to her,” he said.
“The water was freezing cold and pretty deep in places, but there was no way we could have got her out otherwise. Dan waded in to help when he got here too, while Fahren helped us get back out. It was a real team effort.”
Dan, 45, added:
“You don’t think of the danger at the time; you just want to help. It needed all three of us to rescue her. After we got her out, we could see she was unconscious, but she was still alive.”
Fahren, 20, said:
“I was just glad we could help – it was second nature, really. When we later found out she had survived, we were all very happy.”
Dan downplayed the idea of the trio being ‘heroes’ and added:
“We just did what most people would have done.”
