Watch: Hero Dad Describes How He Saved Woman and Three-Year-Old Girl From Trapped Sinking Car
A father who helped save a woman and her three-year-old daughter from a sinking car during storm Henk He has said he acted on “instinct” after being hailed as a “local hero”.
Liam Stych, 28, jumped into the raging torrent after hearing the woman scream: "Help me, help me, please save my baby." Dramatic video shows the woman's Fiat Punto being swept under a pedestrian bridge as floodwaters swept through Hall Green in Birmingham on Tuesday afternoon.
The brave father hung from the bridge, smashed the rear passenger window and used ratchet straps to secure the woman's car to the railings to prevent it from sinking. Incredibly, he saved the girl by "throwing" her into the lap of her pregnant partner Tia Draper, 27, who was standing on the bridge.
West Midlands Police praised Liam as a “local hero” but the unassuming father-of-two played down the incident.
Stych said: “It was pure luck that we were there when it happened. I didn't think about what he was doing, I just acted on instinct. The poor lady lost her car and the shopping that was behind her, but she and her daughter could have lost their lives.”
Stych, who has two children from a previous relationship, said he wanted people to understand the deadly danger of flooding. He added: "I think if I hadn't done what I did, the car would have been dragged under the bridge and there would have been no way to get them out."
He continued: “I managed to stay calm and thought clearly about what needed to be done. I didn't want to make the situation worse by panicking and sinking the car with my weight. My only thought was to get them both out safely.”
The rescue
While walking across a bridge with his partner, Stych heard a woman screaming from inside a car. The woman was screaming for help and asking him to save her baby who was in her back seat.
The front of his car was pointing towards the water, so he carefully hung off the bridge without putting any more weight on the car to avoid any chance of sinking. He then advised the woman to stay calm, roll down the window and hand over her son.
Sytch added: "She was screaming 'Help me, help me, please save my baby who's back!'
He said: "The woman could only roll the window down halfway so I grabbed the baby and literally threw her behind me and into Tia's lap who was on the bridge."
The road works engineer and traffic manager ran back to their work van and grabbed a 3.5 tonne set of ratchet straps, jumped into the car and smashed the rear passenger window. He secured the car to the bridge with the ratchet straps so it wouldn't drift further and then told the woman to climb into the back and climb out the window.
She managed to get out and the two held hands and jumped into the water together after counting to three. Sytch added. He then dragged her out of the 5-foot water that had a strong current and waited for the ambulance crew to arrive to check her.
How long will Storm Henk last?
While Storm Henk has passed, many areas of the UK are still struggling to cope with its consequences. The storm caused extensive flooding and destruction, with gusts exceeding 90 mph. As the first named storm of 2024, it toppled trees and scaffolding and caused power outages.
Network Rail said transport delays would continue as train services return to service. More than 300 flood warnings were issued across England and Wales on Wednesday morning. A severe flood alert, meaning danger to life, has been issued for the River Nene at Northampton, warning of deep, fast-moving water at the Billing Aquadrome holiday park and nearby business parks.
Transportation delays continued as commuters tried to get to work in the first week after Christmas. More rain is expected in many areas throughout the day, prompting National Highways to warn of road closures that could last for several hours.
