A Murupara man has two women - one of whom is eight months pregnant - to thank for saving his life after they pulled him out of the cold depths of Lake Aniwhenua.
Police said the man was lucky to be alive after he lost control of his car, plummeted into
the lake and could not get out.
Jenny Crawford was in her kitchen on Saturday at 6.45 am when she heard the screech of tyres on the road outside her Murupara house. She found a set of tyre marks leading into the lake, then woke her pregnant niece, Monique McKenzie.
"She woke up the whole household and we all ran down to the lake. We jumped into the water, and that's when we saw the guy in the car. He didn't have much room to breathe," said Monique.
"Aunty Jenny ran back and got a spade, smashed the driver's side window and we pulled him out. The funny thing is we are both terrified of water."
Acting Sergeant Rob Hutchins of Murupara was impressed by the women's efforts.
"It was an extremely courageous thing for them to do, especially considering one of them is pregnant. When they ran into the water, the only thing showing of the car was a little piece of a corner bumper. The rest was submerged.
"In my opinion, they saved his life. And something like that shouldn't go unnoticed."
Police are still investigating the incident.
- NZPA
