A LIMERICK paramedic living in New York who last year helped to rescue a Belfast woman trapped under a subway train has made headlines again after jumping into the Hudson River to save a drowning woman.
Niall O’Shaughnessy (38), who lives in Long Island, went into the river last Monday to save a woman aged in her late 20s to early 30s who had jumped into the water.
The FDNY paramedic team had arrived on the scene within minutes of the incident and spotted the woman in the water clinging onto a life ring.
Speaking to a New York newspaper, Mr O’Shaughnessy said: “This was my first time I jumped in the water (for a rescue). I have no idea why she jumped in, my concern was to just get her out.”
“She was very tired and started to let go of it (the life ring). My biggest concern was making sure she was OK and that she didn’t submerge.”
A spokesperson for the FDNY said that Mr O’Shaughnessy “kicked off his boots, clipped off his radio and jumped in” when he realised that the woman was in danger of going under.
“He saw her having an incredible amount of difficulty and his brain took over. All that mattered was rescuing her,” added the spokesperson.
The woman was taken to hospital and was said to be in a stable condition.
