A young family had a miraculous escape after their car plunged into the River Lee, in Cork, on Saturday evening.
A mum and her two young sons, both aged under five, were pulled to safety by their father and two passers-by who jumped into the river to save them, according to The Mirror.
It is believed the little boys’ mother had put them and the family’s pet dog into their BMW convertible, which was parked above a disused slipway at Lower Castleview Terrace, across the road from their home on Lower Glanmire Road.
The mum sat in the passenger seat while the children were in the back seat, waiting for their father to come out of their house and join them.
Eyewitness Kathleen Twomey told The Irish Examiner that she heard a car revving from her house, followed by the sound of screams.
“When I looked out my window, I saw the blue car in the river and I could hear the kids screaming and trying to get out the window,” she said.
'I thought they were gone... the car was going down so fast' https://t.co/NChkfeOEeW pic.twitter.com/D9A07yQmEq
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) June 26, 2017
She immediately dialled 999 and begged for help.
Upon hearing the noise, the boys’ father ran out of his house and jumped into the river to rescue his family, with the help of a neighbour and a passer-by who also bravely climbed into the river.
Ms Twomey said: “We were seconds from seeing the family being wiped out.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. It was so terrible; the scariest thing I’ve ever seen. I thought they were gone because the car was going down so fast. I could see them - the kids in the back, and the mother in the passenger seat - trying to get out the side windows.
“Only for the guy pulling up in the jeep and helping the dad, they were all gone. It was so scary.”
Witness Christina Hegner came upon the scene with her friends and helped to form a human chain, to carry the traumatised youngsters to safety.
She said: “They just could not stop crying. They were in shock. They got whisked into a house before they could even see if their mother got out.”
The boys and their mum were pulled to safety, while the family dog also managed to escape and swim to the shore.
Emergency services arrived at the scene shortly afterwards, and the family were taken to Cork University Hospital for observation.
