Speeding cyclist nearly cost toddler his life

AS A speeding cyclist came down the towpath of the Grand Union Canal in Leicester, a toddler hastily stepped aside,  fell into the water, and nearly drowned.

It was only the hasty action of David Hamer, though a non-swimmer, who did not hesitate to go into the water after hearing a mothers' frantic scrams that her two years old son was drowning in the canal by the Outdoor Pursuits Centre.

Face down

The young boy was floating face down in the waterway, with his distraught mother unable to reach him, when David arrived on the scene,  so went into the water and handed the boy to someone who had also come across the scene.

The young boy was not breathing and his lips were blue, but ringing for an ambulance, the service call handler was able to talk him and others through CPR, and after a few minutes the boy coughed up canal water then started crying.

Tried to get out of the way

The child had been walking by the canal with his mother, two brothers and sister when a cyclist came speeding down the towpath, the mother explained, and the boy slipped into the water as he tried to get out of the way.

The boy recovered in hospital, but the quick action of David saved his life.