Paddle-boarder saves teenage girl from river (From Your Local Guardian)

Paddle-boarder saves teenage girl from river

9:07am Tuesday 3rd July 2012 in Richmond By Rachel Bishop

A 17-year-old girl found unconscious in the Thames at Twickenham Riverside was saved by stand-up paddle boarders.

Active360 coach Adam Balls jumped over the railings into the water as soon as he spotted the girl in the water and quickly pulled her to the shore, as hundreds lined the river following the Twickenham Blue Mile on June 9.

Fellow Active360 members then helped Mr Balls to get the girl onto a stand-up paddle board, for fear she may have hurt her back.

Mr Balls said: “The girl was face-up in the water. I think she was unconscious because she didn’t seem to be breathing when I lifted her out the water.”

The 26-year-old from Putney said he did not believe what he did was particularly heroic, but thought it was a good reason to have more experienced water sports clubs on the river.

He said: “I just did what anybody would have done. I think if we hadn’t been there it could’ve been a much worse situation.”

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We were called to an incident at Water Lane at 9.15pm on June 9. We sent a single responder in a car and an ambulance. Our staff took a 17-year-old girl to West Middlesex Hospital.”