SINKING CAR RESCUE
down in the water, the weight of the engine pulling it under. All that was visible was the rear window. The group searched in horror for signs of the driver. There was none. Rob grabbed the hammer and ran to the ramp, lying down on his stomach alongside the part that had skewered the roof of the car. He still couldn’t see movement. He smashed the rear passenger window and shoved his arm through. “Grab me!” he shouted, unsure if the driver could hear him through the swirling water. A hand grabbed his arm. The driver had managed to scramble over the seat into the back of the car. Rob wrenched him up and pulled his face above the water so he could suck in air. 54
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But there was no way the driver, a tall, broad man, was going to fit through the window. He was twisted at an angle with only his nose and mouth above the water, and his shoulder was stuck. Rob was going to have to push him back under the water and turn him round. “Take a big breath,” he told him. “Don’t panic, I’ve got you. Turn around and when I start to pull, give me a push with your legs.” The driver did exactly as he was told. He took a couple of big breaths and Rob pushed him back into the car, below the water. He twisted him round, then pulled with all his might as the older man pushed upwards. He shot out of the window like a cork
P HOTO: (EVERNDEN) ABC NEWS
Ferry operator Robin Evernden’s quick thinking and bravery saved two lives