Three United Kingdom vacationers rushed to the rescue of a French cruise ship passenger who encountered difficulty while in the water at Rodney Bay beach.
Matt Hammond, his wife, and his sister-in-law were part of a group featured in the news after experiencing challenges driving to and from their accommodation on Guyabois Road in Saltibus because of its deplorable state.
Hammond told St. Lucia Times that at about 1:30 pm on Monday, he, his wife, their two children, his sister-in-law, and her partner saw three women in the sea waving at them.
He said the women were about twenty-five metres off the beach.
According to Hammond, he and his group eventually realized that the women were not merely waving at them but were in distress.
“I ran into the sea, swam over to them and behind me was my sister-in-law,” he recalled.
Hammond said one of the women was choking and ingesting a lot of water.
He said he and his sister-in-law got hold of the woman and pulled her to shore, where his sister-in-law and his wife administered first aid.
Hammond said the French woman who had encountered difficulty in the sea had water in her lungs and was throwing up.
The rescuers helped the shaken woman in her fifties to recover fully.
Hammond said his sister-in-law is a UK firefighter who also drives ambulances, while his wife, a nursery teacher, is trained in first aid.
Headline photo: Matt Hammond, his wife and sister-in-law
Congratulations to you all. This is a remarkable success story and shows the kindness and quick action of these tourists.
It’s a shame they have had a dreadful experience with Gais Bais Road.
Well done everyone.
Great story. Some would prefer to lay back and film the misfortune. We need to be more proactive. A little help goes a long way. Be assured to receive blessings in return.
A good case for our authorities to post trained lifeguards at our main beaches. Would also provide employment for some of our youth.
Thank You – they do not look like us and they are not product of SLU. RF and Pierre learn from that.
Stop the Racism none sense in SLU
Great reading of a dire situation by the Brits. Don’t expect this to be the norm. There needs to be lifeguards at the beach. This is a tourist island and we should expect our guests to go to the beaches. The beach area at Vigie near the airport, where cruise ships passengers go, is a disaster waiting to happen. A bathroom and shower is needed ASAP at that location. Why aren’t we proactive? Why does it take the death of a sap to get things done?
Thanks to everyone who made a rescue possible.
Great news – you were all positioned to be in the right place at the right time with the right skill sets to assist the folk who were in distress. God bless you all and thank you for helping. May the rest of your vacation be enjoyable. Godspeed.
At this point we just need to give them permanent open invite. They seem to care more about the island’s image than alot of the people and politicians.
This family is god sent, not only after enduring a disappointed horrible road experience but also to save lives. What a remarkable story from land to water. Like one blogger said . St. Lucia. Would have rather record the incident and post it on all social media. The Minister should refund these people 100% and still give them a free visitation right. Such heroic responses required a national award.
I said give this man and his family citizenship,afterall a British saved a French!Europe’s biggest rivals ..isn’t it ironic with us being 7times British 7times French….all jokes aside!..i wonder if the English knew it was a French they were going to save…obviously the person was subconscious if water was in lungs and couldnt speak to be understood.
With all due respect i must commend the family for being life saver at pivotal moment and drawing authorities attention of the locals plight.