Sick-day hero drags man from sinking car
Published: October 26, 2004
Being in the wrong place at the right time saved a man’s life on the Gold Coast in Queensland yesterday.
Andrew Rose was on his way to pay some bills at The Pines Shopping Centre in Elanora when he saw a car launch 30m off Coolgardie Street into Pine Lake just before noon.
The 34-year-old carpenter raced into the water to rescue the driver.
“I saw him heading towards the lake and thought, ‘damn, old mate’s not going to stop,” he said.
“I didn’t think twice about going in until I was in the water heading towards him, then I thought, ‘what’s in my pockets?’ ”
A taxi driver who also witnessed the accident jumped into the water behind Mr Rose and swam out to help the sinking man.
“He was in shock when I got to him. His eyes were open but his hands were still on the steering wheel and all the windows and doors were locked,” said Mr Rose.
“I was banging on the windows to try to get them down.”
Mr Rose and the taxi driver managed to push the windows down and free the man before the car sank.
“As soon as we got his seatbelt off we pulled him out of the window. I did the old lifeguard technique and took him in.
“By the time we got to shore the car had disappeared. It was like a scene out of a movie.”
Police believe the man suffered a seizure while leaving The Pines, which caused him to lose control of his Ford Fairlane and smash into other vehicles before speeding into the lake.
“I heard a bang and turned around to see him smashing into a lady’s Holden Commodore,” said Mr Rose.
“He was at full acceleration, just ramming her from behind. She eventually got out of the way and he just powered towards the lake.”
Ambulance personnel assessed the man at the scene but did not take him to hospital. He was treated at the Carlyle JD medical centre.
Mr Rose said it was lucky no one was killed.
“He sped through the pedestrian crossing going out of the shopping centre and the footpath on the other side of the road. Imagine if someone had been walking past … He’s probably lucky as well that he did go into the water. He would have been a lot worse off had he hit a tree.”
Mr Rose was home from work on a sick day because of an injury to his leg he suffered on Friday.
“It’s not the normal thing you do on a sick day, I don’t think the boys at work will believe me when I tell them.”
Despite saving the man’s life, Mr Rose played down his heroic actions.
“I was just in the wrong place at the right time.
“Everyone would have done the same, it’s just human instinct.
“If I actually sat back and thought about it I might have done something different.
“After hearing all the stories about sharks in there, I’m not the biggest fan of swimming in the canals.”
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