General News
29 October, 2025
Child spots trapped man in Wimmera River after scooter failure
A CHANCE sighting of an elderly man stuck in the Wimmera River at about 4pm today may have saved his life, after his mobility scooter’s brakes failed and he ended up in the water.
Witness Ashleigh Marsh was driving her children to the nearby park on Barnes Boulevard when one of them called out that they had seen a man waving.
Ms Marsh said she thought that was strange and turned back.
“We slowly drove back, and then we found him,” she said.
“He’s been trying to get attention from the drivers for about half an hour.
“His brakes failed, apparently, he tried to stop, and it just wouldn't stop – so he just kept driving.
“And when he went in, and he went under the water, and he said he's lucky, he actually put his head up on top and then after that, he just couldn't move, because he can't actually move his legs.
“Lucky we stopped.”
Police Sergeant Lachlan Hurst said the situation could’ve been much worse if not for the quick thinking.
“It appears his brakes have failed on his mobility scooter, and he's ended up in the river,” he said.
“He's managed to flag down some witnesses who contacted Triple-Zero, and police have arrived on scene first and have managed to pull him up out of chest-height water.”
The SES later arrived on scene to pull the scooter out, and Ambulance paramedics also attended.
Read More: Horsham