07.08.2008

Articulated boom saves man stuck in mud

A man in Colchester was rescued from mud by three men using an articulated self propelled platform as the River Colne’s tide approached.
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An articulated boom platform was used for the rescue

Fire crews, police and land and air ambulances were called to King Edward Quay in Colchester last Friday morning after Jackson Civil Engineering worker Roger Smith spotted 23-year-old David Wade neck deep in mud.
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The rescue team - Roger Smith, Alf Jackson and John Stitt

John Stitt and Alf Jackson operated the platform to reach Wade and hold him up until the emergency services arrived to get him out. Minutes after Mr Wade was rescued, the incoming tide covered the spot where he was stuck.

Mr Stitt said he believed his colleague Mr Smith was the real hero as he was the first one to have spotted him. “If it was not for him David Wade would be a statistic now,” he said.