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19:42 GMT, Thursday, 24 April 2008 20:42 UK

Bystander saves canal crash baby

location of accident

A bystander has rescued a 13-month-old girl from a canal after her mother's car collided with another vehicle.

Pat Baker, 54, dived into the water to save the child after the mother said her daughter was trapped in the car near Barrow-on-Trent, Derbyshire.

He then managed to force his way into the car and drag the child to safety.

An air ambulance flew them to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham after Wednesday's crash, where the baby remains in a stable condition.

A Derbyshire Police spokeswoman said: "Luckily two nurses were also on hand and as a result of them rendering first aid and CPR they managed to resuscitate the baby."

"I undid the clamp and the child came out - but I didn't think she was alive"
Pat Baker

Mr Baker, a Rolls-Royce maintenance engineer from Stenson Fields, Derby, swam underwater and managed to open the car door at the second attempt.

"I finally got the door open and got inside where it was absolutely black as it was submerged in water. I located the leg of the child but it didn't want to come as it was in a baby seat," he said.

"I undid the clamp and the child came out - but I didn't think she was alive."

Mr Baker said he could not bear to stay and watch the emergency services work on the child.

"We lost a child 20 years ago and I didn't want to see that again," he said.

"But a few minutes later one of the crew came over and said 'She's breathing'. I just burst into tears."

A Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance spokeswoman said the car had been submerged for three to five minutes before the mother and baby were brought on to land.

She said the baby had gone into cardiac arrest and when the air ambulance crew arrived they carried out cardiac and respiratory monitoring.

Air ambulance doctor Dr Stuart Maitland-Knibb said: "This was a very traumatic incident.

"The mother of the little girl did not suffer any serious injuries and our thoughts are with her and the rest of the little girl's family and friends."

Local parish councillor Christine Barker said: "The road wasn't built for the amount of traffic it gets - especially at this bend."

She called for a barrier to be put up and better marking on the road in addition to it being widened in the future.



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Derbyshire Police
Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance
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