Dramatic rescue after car plunges into frozen canal

UPDATED: A motorist was pulled to safety following a dramatic rescue by a husband and wife team and members of the public after his car plunged into the frozen Bridgewater Canal at Lymm.

The incident happened on Thursday afternoon near the canal bridge between the Fleece and Bull public houses, where the car went over the canal bank off New Road Lymm.

A Cheshire Police spokesperson said: “Officers were called at around 4.40pm on Thursday 15 December to The Cross, Lymm following reports of a Honda car entering a canal.
“The driver, an 84-year-old man, was rescued from the canal. He declined the use of an ambulance.
“The vehicle was recovered from the canal and officers taped off the area.”

First on the scene was local resident Gareth Grimward, assisted by his wife Kay Grainge. Gareth said : “My first instinct was to just get the elderly gentleman out and to safety as quickly as possible.”

He added: “We were taking our little girl for a dentist appointment when we were driving through lymm village and my wife spotted the car in the canal. We just both looked at each other and said we need to help and quick!
“So I pulled the car up got out and just began to help the elderly man. I started by reaching out for him as the gentleman also tried climbing out of the window. But it was just too icy and he was slipping everywhere so we began to try get some ladders so we could put them across to him. But no luck and we was running out of time as the car was sinking even more. So I thought we just need get him out and quick so we began again reaching over for him whilst I had a few other people helping me, holding onto me, holding onto the gentleman and we just all pulled him out. As we pulled him out he landed on top of me and I was so relieved that we got him out I don’t want to think what would of happened. A big thank you to the ladies and gentlemen that helped throughout the rescue and.