Daring police officer leaps into runaway boat on Queensland river
Three kayakers and a police officer pulled off an audacious river rescue in Queensland, after an elderly fisherman fell out of his tinny.
The kayakers dragged the stricken Gladstone fisherman, 73, out of the Calliope River in central Queensland on Sunday, but his unmanned fishing boat was left circling around uncontrollably.
A Queensland police officer leapt from another boat into the runaway tinny, bringing the vessel under control.
The unmanned tinny runs loose after the fisherman was knocked out of the vessel from another boat's wake. 9News
A still image taken from the Queensland police officer's body cam just before he leaps into the runaway tinny on the Calliope River. 9News
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The fisherman had been thrown out of his tinny after it was rocked by the wake of another boat.
He sustained a hand injury from the blades of the motor when he tried to get back onboard, and three kayakers paddled over after seeing him in distress.
The kayakers, aged 28, 29 and 30, kept the fisherman afloat before another boat came over to take him safely to shore.
The police officer commandeered another boat at a nearby ramp to chase down the loose tinny. 9News
The police office jumps into the tinny, taking control of the runaway boat. 9News
A police officer commandeered a vessel from the boat ramp and with its skipper travelled out to the out of control tinny.
They nudged the circling tinny to force it into a straight forward trajectory, and the officer leaped into the empty vessel.
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