A MAN is recovering in hospital after he was rescued from the water by a local hero in a County Clare town this morning (Thursday).
The alarm was raised at around 8.55am when a person was reported to be in the water at the marina in the Harbour Village in Killaloe.
A person living in a nearby apartment saw the man and raised the alarm before running to the casualty’s aid.
The quick-thinking hero resident jumped into the cold water and managed to grab hold of the casualty.
In the meantime, watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue sub centre on Valentia Island in Kerry launched a rescue operation.
The Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard dispatched a team by road as the incident occurred within the confines of the harbour. The National Ambulance Service and Gardaí were also alerted and responded to the scene.
The brave rescuer held the casualty afloat until Coast Guard volunteers arrived. Both men were then assisted from the water onto the jetty.
The casualty was stretchered from the jetty to an area to wait for an ambulance. Coast Guard first responders administered first aid until ambulance paramedics arrived. The man is understood to have shown signs of severe hypothermia.
The man was later handed into the care of National Ambulance Service paramedics who assessed and treated him before he was transferred to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.
