A young Garda has been hailed a hero after she dived into the River Liffey and rescued an unconscious man floating face down in the water.
Garda Sarah Lynam pulled the man from the water last Friday and performed CPR to save his life.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Garda Lynam said she barely had time to think before plunging into the river after the man.
She said the day began as ‘just your regular old Friday’ until she received a call about a distressed man in the water at the Boardwalk in Dublin City Centre.
September 10, 2009, Dublin, Dublin, Ireland: Dublin, Ireland; River Liffey And Ha'penny Bridge (Credit Image: © Peter Zoeller/Design Pics via ZUMA Wire)“I started running down towards the Boardwalk and when I arrived on-scene, there were members of the public flagging me down, panicked and telling me that he had floated down underneath the Boardwalk,” she said. “They said he struggled as soon as he went in.
“So, I looked through the grooves on the Boardwalk and I saw he was face down in the water.
“At that stage, I was like there’s no other option here but to get in the water. I knew DFB (Dublin Fire Brigade) were on the way, but I know myself from swimming competitively and being in different types of water situations, it literally comes down to seconds in the water – you don’t have much time.”
“I literally saw no other choice"
The Dublin garda said she didn’t have a moment to think.
“I said it to my friends and colleagues and family afterwards, there was literally very little thought processing that went on,” she said.
“I literally saw no other choice. I took off, obviously, my stab vest and utility belt, I passed my phone to a member of the public and in I went.
“I was probably in the water, I’d say, in less than 30 seconds.”
CPR
After she reached the man, Garda Lynam's partner threw her a rope and helped her haul him back to shore.
“The assistance of my colleague, [Garda] Anna [Duhova], made the rescue, obviously, a lot easier for myself,” she said.
“When I got into the water initially and turned him over, I saw he was foaming at the mouth. So, I knew it was a serious matter but obviously, there’s not much I can do in the water, the next protocol is to get him out of the water as soon as possible.
“With the help of my colleague we got him up to the dock there and literally two or three pumps on his chest and I saw the foam coming out of his mouth and the water coming out of his mouth.
“At that stage then I was like OK, grand. The relief I felt then.”
Garda Lynam urged everyone to remember the importance of water safety during the current hot spell – noting that the best thing to do is to always swim where there’s a lifeguard on duty.
