How Would You Handle This Water Rescue Op?

[CTFF 65]

The father of the man who died with his foot trapped in a flooded drain yesterday accused emergency services of bungling the rescue operation.

Mike Barnett condemned them as incompetent as he released dramatic footage of his son's last moments.

The victim, also called Mike, got his foot trapped in a grate covering a storm drain and was stuck for more than four hours as police, firemen and ambulance crews tried in vain to pull him free.

The video shows the distressed 28-year-old being held just millimetres above filthy water that turned a suburban road in Hessle, near Hull, into a raging river.

Yesterday his father claimed 999 workers argued among themselves as they fought against the clock.

"The fire, police, ambulance, divers and paramedics were virtually arguing about what to do," he said.

"They should have known what to do before they got there. They could have cut his foot off when they knew there was nothing else they could do.

"But they said the water was dirty and he might be poisoned and die. Well, he died anyway didn't he?

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Edited July 6, 2007 by x635