Hero saves dad from drowning in River Esk

Midlothian Council employee Lawrence Dunn unexpectedly turned into a hero while on his break, but still returned to work despite being soaked.

Midlothian Council employee Lawrence Dunn unexpectedly turned into a hero rescuing a man from the River Esk at Waterfall Park in Dalkeith.

Lawrence, who works within Children’s Services, was taking a leisurely cycle ride through Waterfall Park in Dalkeith with a young person on May 30, when he spotted two young boys diving into the River Esk from six foot high rocks.

The boys’ father, who was supervising his children from the other side of the river, noticed that one of his sons was having some difficulty in the water so jumped in and managed to pull him out.

However, the man then found himself in water that was deeper than he expected and he started to panic and disappear under the water.

Lawrence responded immediately by clambering down the bank and jumped from the rocks to pull the man out of the river to safety.

Lawrence said: “It was lucky that we were passing at that time and stayed to watch them jumping in.

“As soon as I realised that the man was in trouble, I ran in without thinking. His children were really upset and were shouting for help because they feared he was drowning. It turned out the man could not swim. I didn’t catch his name but he was very distressed so I hope him and his family have recovered from the shock of what happened. I still feel an overwhelming feeling of joy that I was able to help.”

Lawrence’s line manager reported that he returned to work soaking but still completed his shift after changing his clothing.