By Shelby Brooks
A Pakenham man has been the ultimate Good Samaritan, helping to save a girl struggling to swim at Cardinia Lake over the weekend.
Ben Johnson says he can’t take all the credit for the good deed though, with an off-duty nurse, a group of 12 year old boys and three other men all rushing to the aid of a woman around 4pm on Saturday 28 August.
Ben, from local company Mealeniyum Lifestyle Meals, said his walk around the quarry lake started like normal, listening to the sounds of some young boys laughing and splashing around in the water.
But he said their laughter quickly turned to hysterical screaming.
“I thought what’s going on here,” Ben said.
“The boys were calling for help so I legged it through the bushes to get to them.”
A woman was struggling to swim further out in the water.
“Two of the boys had gone to try help her and she’s turned around and started pushing them under,” he said.
“So it went from zero to one hundred real quick. Credit needs to go to the boys who all tried to help.
“But when the screaming happened, I just tried to do the right thing.”
By linking arms with the boys on the shore, Ben was able to grab the woman’s hand from the boys in the water and pull her onto land.
Luckily an off-duty nurse was on hand to assist before emergency services arrived.
Ambulance Victoria confirmed that paramedics attended the scene after reports a female was in the water.
She was in a stable condition and was taken to Casey Hospital.
“It was a bizarre one,” Ben said.
“It was just a case of being in the right place at the right time.
“There was about 60 people at the lake and only three other people, plus myself and the nurse came over to help. The three African blokes were about the furthest away from anyone but they were the ones to run over to see if they could help.”
Ben would love to connect with the other Good Samaritans, particularly the young boys, to thank them for their bravery.
