Woman rescued from river after bridge plunge

Apr 14 2011 by Leona Greenan, Hamilton Advertiser

A WOMAN was taken to hospital on Saturday – after falling 20 ft into the River Clyde, near Strathclyde Park at Motherwell.

The 56-year-old, who is thought to be from Motherwell, fell from the Clyde bridge on the A723 dual carriageway at Motherwell Road between Motherwell and Hamilton.

Motorists and visitors to Strathclyde Park looked on in horror as the woman tumbled into the fast flowing water below.

Witness Ian Cook contacted the Advertiser this week and told how the woman appeared to be standing on the wrong side of the railings, before sitting down on a narrow ledge and looking into the water below.

She then got back up and clambered to hold on to the barrier but lost her footing and fell – as horrified onlookers gasped in disbelief.

Ian, of Fairhill, Hamilton, was first to telephone the emergency services.

He continued: “I was driving from Hamilton up to the Strathclyde Park entrance around 11.50am on Saturday when my daughter Kirsty spotted a woman standing on the ledge of the bridge on the wrong side of the railings.

“We parked the car in Strathclyde Park and quickly made our way over, as close as we could get, to see what was happening. I could tell all was not well so I called the police.”

“The woman looked to be in the wrong frame of mind. She was walking from side to side. It then looked as though she had changed her mind about being in that situation and clambered to hold on to the railing. Just at that point she lost her footing and fell into the water.

“Crowds gathered as the police arrived at the scene and for about five minutes after she fell there was no sign of her. It was just silent. A few moments later we heard a constant wailing sound and eventually three fire officers spotted the woman and dashed in to pull her to safety and on to an island in the middle of the river. A canoe-type boat then came and moved her back onto dry land.”

Mr Cook explained that paramedics then took over from the fire officers and police, and at one point onlookers feared the worst as a cover was put over the woman’s face.

He said: “The woman was moved on to a stretcher and after a few minutes checking her over we saw paramedics putting a cover over her entire body, including up over her face, as they lifted her into the ambulance.

“At that point we were fearing the worst. I managed to ask another ambulance worker what was happening and he said the woman appeared to be alright. It was all quite surreal.”

A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police confirmed the incident this week. She said: “We can confirm we received a call at 11.50am on Saturday, April 9, regarding a woman who had entered the water at Strathclyde Park.

“Three firefighters and rangers from Strathclyde Park all went to the 56-year-old woman’s assistance and she was taken to nearby Wishaw General Hospital for treatment to minor injuries.”