A married couple in Wernstein showed enormous commitment and enormous courage. The two used a canoe to fish a German cyclist out of the river who had fallen into the Inn and floated helplessly in the cold water at night.
The fact that the bedroom window of Katja and Christian A. is regularly open at night recently saved the life of a 44-year-old German in Wernstein am Inn. Otherwise, the couple probably wouldn’t have noticed the 44-year-old’s plight. So the two reacted immediately when noises were heard from the river at night. “We already slept. My wife woke up around 11:30 p.m. moaning and sputtering and immediately woke me up,” says Christian A., whose home is only 100 feet from the inn.
suspicious animal
The couple (58 and 59) first suspected that it was an animal in the water that urgently needed help. Wearing only a T-shirt, the man ran to the jetty, grabbed a lifebuoy and jumped into his kayak. His wife Katja got on her bicycle and rode parallel to him along the bank.
Inn flow was only 15 degrees Driver did not respond
“It was pitch black — I couldn’t see anything, just hear the occasional splash and groan. That gave me direction.” When Christian A. was only ten feet away from the body floating in the 15-degree cold Inn, he realized he was human. “I called out, but he didn’t have the strength to answer.” After about 300 meters, he threw the lifebuoy three times at the driver, but the man did not react. “Then I pulled it up with the paddle and hung it over the kayak like a sack.”
Neighbors woke up
Woman Katja screamed for help on the bank and called residents out of their sleep. “I have now been taken to the Bavarian coast, but had to return to the Austrian side because only that side is inhabited”, Christian A. describes the extremely tiring canoe trip.
But even from afar he gave instructions to have blankets ready, free the exhausted man from his wet clothes, massage, wrap and keep alive. “I gave it to the helpers on the bank because I couldn’t climb up there with the kayak.”
Severely hypothermic to the hospital
When the rescued, who was severely hypothermic, had recovered a little, he gave his first name Alexander and said thanks three times. Rescue workers took over the German and took him to the Passau Clinic. The 44-year-old is out of danger. It turned out that he had fallen about a mile into the river on his bike. “The man was incredibly lucky and had 1,000 guardian angels. He wouldn’t have landed on his own,” says Christian A.
After the exciting night, the two lifeguards hardly slept: “But the next day it was a great feeling that we could help.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
