Hero man, 62, saved drowning teenage girl's life in Milton Keynes lake

MK man pulled the girl out of the water and got her breathing again - but nobody has ever thanked him
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A wife is hailing her husband a hero after he jumped into a Milton Keynes lake to save the life of a teenage girl earlier this month.

Henry Sunderland was walking near Walton Park lake when a distressed lady asked for his help because her daughter was drowning.

"My husband looked at the lake and saw just a face in the water but within few seconds it disappeared," said his wife Mita.

Henry SunderlandHenry Sunderland
Henry Sunderland

"He quickly took off his shoes and went in the lake, despite lots of sharp rocks and dirt. He pulled her out of the water and laid her in the recovery position."

The girl was unresponsive at first but Henry managed to clear her lungs of water and get her breathing again before the emergency services arrived.

"They took over and my husband came home as he was wet all over and covered with dirt from the lake. I just feel that if it wasn’t for him, the girl would have drowned," said his wife.

After an hour or so the shock hit Henry, who has underlying health issues, she said.

Walton Park lakeWalton Park lake
Walton Park lake

"I telephoned my local doctors surgery and asked them to just check him to make sure he was okay and explained that he had to jump into the lake to save a young girl from drowning. Their response was that he has to go to A&E I feel that after what he had done, he was punished by having to go to A&E and wait for hours to be checked out."

Mita added: "To this date no-one has made any contact to thank him, including the police. But I feel that he should be recognised as a local hero."

Henry is doing well now but he still gets upset when he thinks about the incident his wife said.

Were you the young girl Henry pulled out of the lake. Or her mum? If so, please contact us if you would like to say thank you by emailing [email protected]

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