Hero cop in line for bravery award
Published: January 31, 2007
A Queensland police constable who dived into a swollen river to rescue a woman swept away from a stranded vehicle could earn a bravery award.
Constable Adam Hartley helped save the 40-year-old after the vehicle she was in was washed off a flooded causeway over the Bohle River near Townsville, in the state’s north.
The woman was a passenger in the vehicle her daughter tried to drive across the Bohle River Crossing on Shaws Road about 3am (AEST) on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old driver managed to swim to safety but her mother was swept downstream about 100 metres and was wedged against a tree.
Const Hartley, from the Deeragun police station, and his colleague Senior Constable Barry Locke arrived after the younger woman raised the alarm on her mobile phone.
They found the mother struggling against the fast moving water and wedged against a tree about 30 metres from the riverbank.
The car was completely submerged.
In pitch black conditions, Const Hartley dived into the river upstream and swam across a strong current to reach the woman. He stayed with her for around 30 minutes before a Queensland Fire Service rapid response unit arrived to complete the rescue.
“I could see that she was struggling and in a bit of shock,” Const Hartley said.
“She kept on going under and I had to hold her up and keep talking to her.
“I braced myself against the tree with my back to the current to try and keep her out of the water. She was really struggling.”
Snr Const Locke kept in constant communications with the pair while he called for help, including the ambulance service.
The rapid response unit, specialists in fast water rescues, retrieved the pair after dropping a line and life jackets to them.
The woman was taken by ambulance to Townsville Hospital but was later released.
Acting Townsville Inspector Ian Wilkie described Const Hartley as “very brave”.
“If he hadn’t taken the action that he did, we were looking at a fairly definite possibility that lady would’ve drowned,” he said.
He said Const Hartley would now be considered for a bravery award.
“A report will be submitted in regard to the circumstances of what happened, and that will go through the chain of command and with appropriate recommendations on the way through,” Insp Wilkie said.
Const Hartley only joined the Queensland Police Service in February last year after a decade in the Army.
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