A young Garda has spoken about her experience carrying out a heroic rescue after a man got into difficulty in the River Liffey.
Garda Sarah Lynam answered a call regarding a man who was in distress on Bachelor’s Quay on Friday. The 24-year-old is a former professional swimmer and quickly realised how dangerous the situation was upon arrival at the scene.
“I crawled over the ledge so I could see him and then I dropped down as close as I could to get to him quickly," Sarah told listeners of RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne. "Luckily the current wasn’t too strong that day so I was able to turn him over. I could see he was foaming at the mouth."
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Sarah successfully managed to pull the man to shore, receiving some support from her colleagues who gave her a safety rope to tie around her wrists. The man was unconscious and therefore a dead weight for Sarah to handle.
She performed CPR once the man was on dry land before he was taken to hospital. Sarah revealed she was informed the man was doing well but hadn’t received any additional information about his status.
The Garda said she was overwhelmed by the praise she has received since the incident but told listeners of the programme she was merely doing her job. She first joined An Garda Síochana because she wanted to push herself professionally and try out something different.
“I didn’t want to do the regular 9-5 working in an office," she said. "I loved the idea of helping people, particularly in emergency situations.
"I did join the army but realised it wasn’t for me. Being a Garda was perfectly suited to me and I’m very grateful to be part of the organisation."
Sarah also took the opportunity to warm people about water safety and urged those considering taking a dip due to the current heatwave to exercise caution. It is likely that temperatures will reach highs of 33℃ over the weekend.
“People will obviously be more inclined this weekend to take to the water. We’re asking people to stay in up water areas and to not swim out of their depth. You can never be too careful around the water."
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