Sea cadet's daring rescue saves man's life
Life-savers .... Paul Patterson and Anthony Navi.
27 May 2008
TWO sea cadets were praised today after their heroic actions saved the life of a man who had who fallen into the Tyne.
Commanding officer Paul Patterson was on board Hebburn Sea Cadet's boat TS Kelly when he spotted the man falling into choppy waters near the cadets' building in Prince Consort Road Industrial Estate at about 5pm on Sunday.
Mr Patterson immediately alerted cadet Anthony Navi, who was stationed in a safety boat nearby in case of an emergency.
The 22-year-old hurtled full speed towards the TS Kelly boat where Mr Patterson, 47, leapt aboard as the safety boat soared past at 25mph.
After locating the struggling 38-year-old man, who was floating down the river, the two cadets managed to pull him out of the Tyne and on to their boat where they gave him first aid treatment. He was then taken to shore where the paramedics were waiting for him.
The pair have been hailed "heroes" by their colleagues and the emergency services.
Neighbourhood Sergeant Ed Hedley, of South Tyneside Area Command, said:
"The actions of the two men were very praiseworthy."
But Mr Patterson, from Chester-le-Street, played down his role, saying: "We were only doing our job."
He added: "We're trained to rescue people like that all the time and you just switch on when you have to.
"You expect other cadets falling into the water, but not just a member of the public.
"He was really struggling and he seemed unconscious, so when we pulled him out he was just dead weight."
The local man, who is thought to have been out with friends by the riverside when he fell, suffered no injuries but was taken to South Tyneside District Hospital as a precaution. Police and fire services also attended the scene.
Mr Navi, from Hebburn, said: "I heard somebody shouting for help, then I saw Paul waving me to come over, so I went full speed towards him and he just leapt on from one boat to another – it was unbelievable.
"Then we went straight to the man in the water and managed to fetch him out. It's lucky no one was seriously hurt. It could have turned out really bad."
Chief petty officer Sheila Harte said: "Paul was absolutely fantastic. The way he dived on to a moving boat in those choppy waters was amazing, it's unheard of.
"He had no fears about jumping on the boat. The emergency services were here very quickly but he had been rescued by that point."
A spokeswoman for Humber Coastguard said: "We had a call just after 5pm from a gentleman reporting somebody had fallen into the Tyne.
"We launched the Tynemouth inshore lifeboat and the Sunderland coastguard team also went to assist.
"But another boat in the area managed to help the gentleman out of the water and he was taken to hospital by ambulance."
- Last Updated: 27 May 2008 5:25 PM
- Source: Shields Gazette
- Location: South Shields
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