Award for hero who leapt into River Foss in bid to save drowning man

A testimonial inscribed on vellum said that last July, Michael Carr had, "at great personal risk, courageously gone to the rescue of a man who was struggling in the River Foss in York".

It said: “He saw the man disappear below the surface, so jumped in and dived four or five times in the murky water before he found the man.

“He then brought him to the surface where bystanders helped to get him out.

“He then started CPR on the man and continued until the emergency services took over. Sadly, he later died.”

It said Mr Carr was also being awarded the society’s ‘Resuscitation Certificate'.

The award was presented at York Police Station by North Yorkshire Chief Constable, Lisa Winward.

Michael said yesterday it was good to receive the award, but it was sadly overshadowed by Liam Davey having died in spite of his efforts.

An inquest held earlier this year into the death of 25-year-old Liam heard how Michael was walking back to the Q Park Shambles car park when he heard a splash from the river.

He saw Liam in the water and jumped in and then dived down to the river bed three or four times and had to feel around on the bottom for Liam before eventually feeling a shoe and then a trouser leg.

He pushed up from the river bed and "burst out of the water" and held Liam’s hand out, so onlookers could pull his arm and get him out.

He said he shouted out "does anyone know CPR?".

“But nobody did, so I thought ‘I am going to have to do something',” he said. “I am not trained but anything is better than nothing so I pinched his nose and blew into his mouth and tried doing some chest compressions.

“I thought he was back breathing again. I was massaging his back and trying to get him to spit some water out.”

He said firefighters and paramedics then arrived and took over attempts to resuscitate Liam, who was taken to hospital, where he died the next day.

Coroner Jon Heath, giving an open conclusion, said Michael should be commended.