Excerpt from Teesside Journal news report
River rescue heroes hailed
A paramedic was hailed as a hero last night after he risked his life to rescue a trapped motorist swept into a raging river.
Air ambulance pilot Peter Barnes and paramedic Kevin Hodgson made the daring rescue at Stanhope Ford, Bishop Auckland, after a man in his 40s tried to cross the river, which was swollen after heavy rain.
The air ambulance crew arrived on the scene at 2pm where they found fire crews struggling to reach the man's Audi estate, which had been swept out into the river and was slowly filling with water.
With the water level reaching the motorist's chest and no time to wait for a helicopter from RAF Boulmer, the paramedics decided to attempt their own rescue - despite having no specialised winch equipment and putting their own lives on the line.
Pilot Peter Barnes kept the helicopter steady about a foot above the car as paramedic Kevin Hodgson lowered himself down onto its roof. He then pulled the motorist out through the window of the car, which could have been swept away at any second.
Mr Hodgson helped the man into the helicopter, which then had to move away.
The pilot then re-positioned himself above the car so Mr Hodgson could climb back in and the helicopter flew off to safety.
Mr Hodgson, 45, of Bishop Auckland, has worked for the North-East Ambulance Service for seven years, but last night said he had never attempted such a dramatic rescue before. The brave father-of-three said:
"You don't think about the danger when you are doing something like that. It is only afterwards that it hits you that you were in real danger. When we arrived we found the man trapped in his car, which had been swept into the river by strong currents and was in danger of being carried away, and fire crews couldn't reach him.
"Water was flooding the car up to the man's chest and he was trapped inside. The fire service had requested a rescue helicopter from RAF Boulmer, but we decided we had to act now before it was too late.
"The currents were very strong and there was a chance that the car could have been swept away at any time, so getting him out of the car quickly was crucial."
Peter Barnes, 41, has been flying for the North-East Ambulance for eight years and has also worked as a stunt pilot in numerous Hollywood films including the latest James Bond and Tomb Raider movies.
He said: "It wasn't a run of the mill rescue. Some quick decisions had to be made and the timing was crucial, but fortunately everything went like clockwork. I've worked on some action movies in my time, but Kevin is a real hero climbing onto the roof of that car - although what the man was doing trying to go across Stanhope Ford, God only knows."
The driver of the car was last night said to be "cold, wet and shaken, but otherwise OK" and did not need to go to hospital.
Editorial in the same newspaper
Now the ford must close
How crazy do you have to be to attempt to ford the River Wear at Stanhope after several days of persistent rain?
If you are that crazy, would it make any difference that two motorists have already had to be plucked from the Wear at the notorious ford this year - or that large signs now proclaim the river a danger "at any time".
Would the danger that any rescuer would have to put themselves at to save you, should your car get stuck, cross your mind?
For that matter, would the estimated £20,000 cost to the taxpayer of scrambling a rescue helicopter and other emergency services when your fun little trip stopped being fun, slow you down at all as you approached the swirling waters?
For some people, the answer to all the above questions still seems to be "No".
The heroes of yesterday were the paramedics Peter Barnes and Kevin Hodgson, who went a long way beyond the call of duty to hover feet above the water and pull the latest self-imposed victim of the river to safety.
Without them we would be reporting a far grimmer story in the pages of The Journal today.
Unless the warnings are heeded there is a real fear that one day soon we will have to report on a death at Stanhope.
The thousands of people in the region who have helped raise money to support the Air Ambulance appeal are entitled to a feeling of pride this morning.
Let us be clear: The ford is not the only way to cross the river below Stanhope. A diversion leads to a bridge less than half a mile away. The fact the ford is still open to traffic at all is largely a matter of tradition and the sometimes useful common law surrounding rights of way.
But to date this year three separate vehicles have come to grief there.
If the good sense of drivers cannot be relied upon, then the ford must close.
Also lots of favourable publicity in the national newspapers which is good for the industry.
