A motorist had a lucky escape this morning after his car entered the River Shannon in Co Tipperary.
The driver, whom it’s understood wasn’t familiar with the area, took a wrong turn and accidentally entered the water.
The incident occurred at the slipway in Ballina at around 7.30am. The driver was unable to bring his car to a stop in time and his vehicle entered the river. He was however able to escape from the car and make it ashore before raising the alarm.
Gardaí were alerted initially and soon afterwards; the Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard was also tasked by watch officers at the Valentia Marine Rescue Coordination Centre.
On arrival at the scene, emergency services found that the male driver and sole occupant of the car had made it ashore to safety and was unharmed. He did not require medical assistance and once this was confirmed, there was no need for the National Ambulance Service to attend.
The man’s car was however completed submerged and at the end of the slipway and at risk of being carried down river.
A crane had to be sourced to remove the vehicle from the water. Coast Guard crew members secured straps to the car and assisted a crane company with recovering the vehicle from the water.
Emergency services were stood down at around 9.40am.
