Fire crew saves old woman from sinking car

Firefighter Knud Bucholt feared the worst as he dived into the Whanganui River to free an elderly woman, trapped in a sinking car. "I thought I was looking at a body," he said.

But Hillary Guilford, 83, was still alive – just.

She was in intensive care last night, after almost drowning when her Mazda plunged into the Whanganui River just after 6am yesterday.

Firefighters say it appears she drove off the Wharf St boat ramp.

Police have praised the efforts of two fishermen who tried in vain to free her from her sinking car, before calling emergency services.

Fire service senior station officer Craig Gardiner said the car was fully submerged by the time his crew arrived about 6.20am.

Firefighter Shaun Wooller used a large metal pick, known as a "Hooligan tool", to smash the car windows, before Mr Bucholt and firefighter Lindsay Taylor dived underwater, cut Mrs Guilford free of her seatbelt and pulled her to safety.

The quick-thinking of his four-man crew, who "had her in the ambulance within minutes", proved the difference between life and death, he said.

But for Mr Bucholt, time was moving much more slowly.

"What was probably just minutes felt a lot longer," he said.

"Every time you dive into the water to unlock a door or cut a seatbelt, it felt like we were losing seconds – and they were vital seconds."

Dawn was only just breaking and the water was extremely dark.

"It was pretty hazy. When I pulled her out she was pale white and completely limp."

Mr Gardiner said he rode with Mrs Guildford in the ambulance, and it was not until then that he realised she still had a pulse.

Firefighters attended about two river rescues a year in Whanganui, he said.

Senior Sergeant Dave Kirby, of Whanganui, said the fishermen who were first on the scene deserved special praise.

"They heard someone screaming and rushed over.

"I don't know exactly how long the woman was under for ... we're talking minutes."

A resident living near the boat ramp said she did not see the fishermen who had rushed to Mrs Guilford's aid but they were the only people using the boat ramp that early.

The weather was quite foggy yesterday morning.

Mr Kirby said police were still investigating how the car ended up in the river

Sources : Stuff.co.nz. The Dominian Post