Cambridge - July 2012

Stop Press: Lunching Ladies Save a Drunk from the Drink

Three middle-aged ladies reported they were having a late lunch onboard a narrowboat moored in Cambridge when they became aware of an altercation taking place between two men.  They had noticed that one of the men had been sitting on a park bench for a few hours sharing bottles of strong cider with a blonde woman.  Another two men arrived and an argument broke out.  One of the new arrivals started swinging punches at the man on the bench.  The man on the bench didn’t retaliate only backed away, this scenario continued for a few minutes before the new arrival grabbed hold of him threw him in the river. The two men and the woman then left leaving their victim in the water.

The three women on the boat left their half-eaten lunch and strolled over to aid the drowning man.

SL said ‘I grabbed the boat hook in case I needed to haul him out.  I had done a life-saving course but this was many years ago and I had only saved a brick from the bottom of a swimming pool not a drunk from the bottom of the river. I seemed to remember that when diving in to save a life it is essential to wear pyjamas but I didn’t have time to put them on’
 
MG said ‘I pointed out my blouse was dry clean only so I wasn’t going to dive in the river to rescue him and if he needed mouth to mouth resuscitation I most certainly wasn’t going to do it’

CC said ‘When we reached him he was holding onto the ropes of a boat.  I asked if he could swim and he said he couldn’t so I told him in that case he better not let go of the ropes. I suggested that he move over to the back of the boat where he could climb on the ledge and get out but he said he’d broken his ribs and just wanted to rest for a few minutes’

 
SL reported that after some time the man decided to try and get out. Keeping hold of the rope he lifted his legs on the bank but this tipped him over and his head started to disappear under the water.  Two of the women grabbed a leg each and the other grabbed an arm and they managed to pull him out.

 The ladies were asked if they called an ambulance or sent for medical assistance.  They said he was a drunk and they didn’t want to get involved so they just left him on the bank to dry off and went back to their lunch. They felt that they needed a large glass of wine each after all that drama. 

SL did say that she thought of taking him a mug of hot sweet tea but he did look rather unhygienic and she didn’t want to risk contaminating her best mugs.