Teen volunteer rescues paraglider from drowning in Thames after crash
A 16-year-old volunteer rescuer has been credited with saving a paraglider's life after the aircraft hit a telephone line and plunged into the River Thames.
Harry Hermon, who works with the charity Swan Support, was piloting a boat toward Henley around 8:50 p.m. Monday when he heard engines overhead near Temple Lock, just outside Marlow in Buckinghamshire.
He looked up to see a group of paragliders, and then watched as one suddenly struck the line and fell roughly 80 feet into the lock ahead of him.
The teenager rushed over, alerted the lock keeper, and together they fought to keep the pilot from being dragged under by the heavy harness and lines still attached to him.
Harry grabbed the paraglider's lines to lift the man's head above water while the lock keeper used a metal bar to support the weight of the equipment. The teen then climbed into the water to try to free the pilot from the gear pulling him down.
They managed to keep the man afloat until Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived, hauled him safely to the bank, and handed him over to paramedics. He was conscious and breathing.
Harry, who lives in the area and has been with Swan Support for about a year, brushed off any talk of heroism.
“I got a bit of an adrenaline buzz at first, but that was it,” he said. “I’m happy and that, but… I don’t really think it’s that massive a deal.”
His colleagues at Swan Support disagreed, praising his quick thinking and bravery. “Your courage, compassion and quick thinking undoubtedly made an incredible difference,” they said in a statement. “Your actions are something everyone at Swan Support is immensely proud of.”
The incident comes amid a growing interest in paragliding across the Thames Valley, where local authorities have long warned of hazards near power lines and waterways. Harry’s rescue highlights the vital role volunteer responders play in rural river emergencies, often arriving well before official crews.
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