Local resident Devin Waugh was out for a walk on Wednesday evening, along the Selkirk Tressle on the Gorge Waterway when he heard a woman yelling.
“I heard the yelling, she sounded very distressed,” said Waugh. “Then I heard a splash and saw her in the water.”
A woman had gone over the railings and into the waterway at around 9:30 p.m. and without missing a beat, Waugh, who climbs in his free time, jumped into action.
“I hopped over the side, climbed down the pilings to the water. She was clinging to the pilings still very clearly distressed. I just held her hand and just talked to her,” said Waugh.
He said she was in the water for about 15 minutes, all while he held her hand and reassured her.
“I just kept telling her it was okay and occasionally she would say, ‘don’t let go, just hold on.’ So I told her help was coming and that she was going to be okay.”
The pillars that the rescuer climbed down don’t have platforms at the bottom. Waugh balanced on wooden beams, and eventually was able to pull the woman out of the water, where she stayed until help arrived.
After another 15 minutes, VicPD says the local fire department arrived by boat, negotiating her into the vessel to take her to a nearby dock, close to the Glo Restuarant and Lounge.
“Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to get to her,” said VicPD spokesperson Bowen Osoko. “We actually don’t have our own boat. The marine unit was closed in 2015, so really this was about a whole team of people coming together to save a life.”
The woman was taken into VicPD custody under the Mental Health Act and was then driven to the hospital for safety.
Devin is being praised by the VicPD for his heroic actions.
We are thankful Devin was in the right place at the right time, and did an incredibly brave thing in a potentially life-threatening situation. #localhero indeed! #yyj https://t.co/qG13dDFCQ0
— Victoria Police (@vicpdcanada) September 3, 2020
“This man’s choice to get involved and help in a crisis? This man’s a hero,” said Osoko.
“You really helped save someone’s life,” Osoko said to Waugh. “That’s amazing, so thank you very much.”
But Waugh has a more humble view of what happened on the Selkirk Trestle.
“It didn’t feel heroic, it just felt like it was what needed to happen. I’m just glad I could help out,” said the rescuer.
Now, Waugh will continue his walks along the Gorge, hoping he doesn’t have to spring into action again, any time soon.
READ MORE: ‘It was fate:’ Lost cat returns home to Colwood after going missing for more than a year
Rebecca Lawrence
