A drowning teenager was plucked from the freezing waters of Derwentwater by a pair of paddleboarders and a lifeguard.
The blood-shot eyed, mumbling and shaken teen was pulled from the lake just in time by the water safety trained trio who said they were “just in the right place at the right time”.
Mother and daughter paddle boarders Sandi, 57, (pictured left) and Elle Carrington, 25, who run a family canal boat business in Wigan, were heading towards Derwent Island when they passed a group of three teenage boys swimming and messing about in the choppy waters.
A minute later they heard frantic shouts of help and immediately recognised the signs of a real emergency.
“We didn’t know what was going on but we could hear the panic in their voices,” said Sandi. “Working with water I think we both have a heightened sense for this kind of thing.
“We rescued a girl a few years ago so know what those screams of help sound like.”
Turning immediately and paddling as fast as they could, Elle, a strong sportswoman, reached the trio first.
They said one boy was clearly in great distress with another younger and smaller boy trying to keep him afloat whilst the third looked on silently, clearly suffering from shock.
The casualty, known to the women as Sonny, immediately grabbed Elle’s hand and reached the safety of the floating board.
“He was holding on while kissing her hand and thanking her,” added Sandi.
“He was absolutely traumatised bless him. With red bloodshot eyes, fear and panic all over his face he gabbled about saving his life, him drowning and his cramp.
“We work on boats so have some good training and we were calm, we were re-assuring him and his very frightened friends that we were going to stay with them, we would help them and we would get them to shore.”
As they gave the boy Sandi’s life jacket, the pair were then assisted by 21-year-old Hannah Champion, who is in Keswick undertaking an internship with the West Cumbria River’s Trust as part of her degree at Lancaster University.
Appearing out of the blue, the trained lifeguard heard the shouts and came to lend a hand.
Hannah helped put the lifejacket on the now terrified boy, helped get him onto Elle’s board and then stabilised the craft on its way back to shore.
Elle said she was scared the board would tip, but whenever it wobbled Hannah would make it safe, reassuring Sonny that she was there and he was going to be okay.
Once back on shore the teenager went straight into the foetal position and other people who had been watching from the lake edge went to his aid and the emergency services were called.
Lake deeper than swimmer thought
“His friends said afterwards that Sonny was a good swimmer but got a cramp in his leg,” said Elle.
“The lake was deeper than he thought and he couldn’t touch the bottom.
“We were so lucky, it was just three complete strangers coming together and trusting each other that they could make the situation better and save a life.”
After leaving the boys in the care of those on the lakeside; Sandi, Elle and Hannah spent the rest of the day recovering, saying their heroic actions did not hit them until later that night.
Back home in Wigan, Sandi and Elle both cried knowing that the boys’ parents could easily not have had their children return home that night.
The rescue came in a week in which three people in Cumbria have either been confirmed dead or have been missing for several days after getting into trouble in deep water.
Be aware around water
The spate of deaths has prompted Cumbria’s emergency services to warn the public about the dangers of open water swimming.
A #BeWaterAware campaign is gaining momentum on social media with particular emphasis on the tragic consequences of cold-water shock even in the summer heat.
Craig Drinkald, head of community safety, said: “Our county has lots of beauty spots near the water and they are especially nice to enjoy when the sun is shining.
“Prevention is always better than cure. We want people to enjoy the water safely and we are fully committed to preventing drowning incidents from happening in the first place.
“In order to do this, more education is needed, not just in schools but also through engaging with the public in awareness campaigns, so that people fully understand the risks and are better prepared.”
Over 400 people drown every year nationally with almost half of cases occurring between May and August according to the Royal Life Saving Society UK. Inland bodies of water, such as the Cumbrian lakes, account for 62 per cent of deaths with over 80 per cent of casualties being male.
