'He held on to me for his dear life': N.S. woman thanks firefighter for heroic flash flood rescue
Kimberly Gillingham has a fractured leg and fractured knee, with several cuts and bruises covering her body.
But she’s alive, and Gillingham says it’s all because of first responders with the Brooklyn Volunteer Fire Department who rescued her early Saturday from flash flooding in Ellershouse, N.S.
Gillingham says one firefighter in particular risked his own life as he escorted her through rushing water surrounding her home.
“We tried to stand up and walk and we were swept away so fast,” said Gillingham, in an interview Tuesday. “He was tethered with the other firemen, which was really good, thank God.”
“He held on to me for his dear life, or else I wouldn’t be alive here today. And we went for a ride, way down.”
Both were carried about 500 metres in the cold, muddy water.
Gillingham says both she and the firefighter were injured by large pieces of debris in the rushing water, which included trees and pieces of broken road.
The engagement ring on Gillingham’s finger was swept off in the deluge.
Gillingham wasn’t able to immediately go to the closest hospital in Windsor because of multiple road washouts. She spent several hours with the first responders, and was able to hear some of the other desperate 911 calls coming in.
“It was horrifying,” said Gillingham. “The first call came in, and they were looking for two people floating down the river on a log.”
Gillingham’s home received extensive damage, along with others on Ellershouse Road. She has home insurance, but just learned the coverage doesn’t extend to this particular kind of flood damage. Gillingham’s family has set up a GoFundMe page.
Gillingham, who had a double lung-transplant during the pandemic, is preparing to have surgery next week for injuries from the flood. She’s thankful for the opportunity to thank the first responders who rescued her and others this past weekend.
“They did an incredible job saving people.”
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
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