OAP plucked from icy canal by hero MSP
AN MSP has been hailed a hero after rescuing an 81-year-old cyclist who had toppled into a canal.
After plunging into the icy water, retired paper mill worker Bill Watson tried to grip the bank but he was unable to pull himself out.
Luckily, MSP Ivan McKee, who was out for a run by the Forth and Clyde Canal, near Knightswood, Glasgow, heard Mr Watson’s cries for help and hurried to his aid. The Nationalist MSP for Glasgow Provan said: ‘It was only when I was really close that I could see he was in the water.
‘He was holding on to the side and still had a hold of the bike.
‘I pulled the bike out first then two girls who were passing helped me get him out and called for an ambulance. He was freezing when we got him out.’ While the two girls raised the alarm Mr McKee stayed with the shivering cyclist.
Mr Watson was taken to the city’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he was treated for hypothermia.
Doctors also diagnosed a heart problem and the OAP was fitted with a pacemaker. He was able to go home after four days.
Mr Watson, who regularly cycles from his North Kelvinside home to Bowling, Dunbartonshire, said: ‘I was approaching the bridge over the canal and I was looking out for any fast bikes coming in the opposite direction. I realised I was over too far to one side and ended up in the water.
‘Everything was really heavy and I was up to my neck in water. Then I could see a figure approaching.
‘He got me out the water. I don’t know how much longer I could have held on there without being pulled under.’
Mr McKee, 54, had been almost half way through a 16mile run and was thinking about turning back before he heard Mr Watson’s shouts.
He intends to speak to Scottish Canals – which monitors and maintains the waterway
‘I was up to my neck in water’
and its towpaths – and Transport Minister Humza Yousaf to assess if there are safety issues at the site.
A spokesman for Scottish Canals said: ‘We hope the individual concerned is now safe and well.
‘This was undoubtedly a frightening experience but it highlights the dangers associated with an open body of water such as a canal.
‘We take safety incredibly seriously but installing barriers along the canal is not always the best solution as they can make it difficult for water-based users, such as paddlers and boaters, to exit the canal in an emergency.
‘We will continue to encourage all users to be mindful when travelling on or along the canal.’