Pair save man from drowning at Guernsey beach
The "scary" scene unfolded as the pair waded out to sea at the popular bathing spot at about 16:30 BST.Mrs Meinke said: "I heard a splash and carried on swimming, thinking he was behind me."When I looked round his head was face down in the water."I started screaming his name and grabbed his head out of the water, he was completely white."Mrs Meinke said: "I put his head on my shoulder, walloped his back and he spluttered and came to."He was coughing, coughing, coughing."
"He was literally drowning," said Ms Mclauchlan, who plunged through the sea to help Mrs Meinke."I was amazing how quickly someone can get into difficulty."After the pair dragged Mr Meinke back the beach, they put him in the recovery position, before paramedics arrived.Mr Meinke, who swims regularly, said: "I was effectively dead."The hospital thinks I had vertigo, I just didn't know which way was up."It wasn't a stroke, I just collapsed. It's never happened before."
'So grateful to them'
He said he was now waiting for the results of scans to pinpoint the cause of his collapse."It was very scary, something happened to disorientate me and we shall find out what it was," he said.Both thanked Ms Mclauchlan and passers-by who ran to get a defibrillator, called 999 and provided a warm blanket for Mr Meinke as he lay on the beach."I am so grateful to them all," said Mrs Meinke."It was very scary and I'm not a panicky person, but I'm just relieved he's OK."
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