TRADIES’ RESCUE
A COUPLE of tradies being hailed heroes for diving in and saving a motorist who sped into a Gold Coast river went straight back to work afterwards building a nearby house.
Carpenters Corey Anderson and Adam Dabron working on a Southport site near the Nerang River downed tools and plunged in, plucking a male driver from his submerged car yesterday.
The man was treated by paramedics and taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition.
A COUPLE of tradies being hailed heroes for diving in and saving a motorist who sped into a Gold Coast river went straight back to work on a nearby building site afterwards.
Carpenters Corey Anderson and Adam Dabron working on a Southport site near Nerang River downed tools and plunged in, plucking a male driver from his submerged car yesterday.
Mr Anderson, speaking at the scene soon after the man was treated by paramedics and taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition, said: “I was standing out the front with a piece of timber and I just dropped it and ran down.
“We yanked on the doors. Adam had to get on the front seat and get the seatbelt free.
“(He was) pretty much unconscious.”
Mr Dabron, who was first to get to the submerged driver, told the Bulletin: “I saw a big splash in the water. I came down and dived in. The car was completely underwater by then.
“One of the boys helped me to pull the door open and I just yanked him out.”
A modest Mr Dabron wouldn’t take the credit for saving the man’s life, saying: “A few of the boys did.”
Asked if the man said anything, he said: “No. He was completely unconscious.”
The tradies got straight back on the job nearby – their site manager confirming to the Bulletin they had picked up the tools again but “are having beers – they earned it”.
A witness to the drama about 1.55pm said a white Lexus sped from Yacht St in Southport straight into the Nerang River.
The car, which became airborne, “would have been doing about 100 to 120km/h”, the witness estimated.
“The guy came hooning down (the street) and launched into the water,” the witness said. “He came straight through two cars parked there. He wiped out a table and just went straight in. I saw the car in the air.
“I just ran over and called the ambulance. The guys from the construction site behind us jumped in to get him.”
Tow trucks were unable to remove the car from the water which is understood to be about three metres deep.
A police spokesman at the scene said a red buoy would be placed above the car until they are able to retrieve it.
Police will not investigate.
ONE OF THE BOYS HELPED ME TO PULL THE DOOR OPEN AND I JUST YANKED HIM OUT RESCUER ADAM DABRON
Lifeline: 131 114