One man's interest in trees may have saved the life of a woman who was trapped in a car in a Wicklow bog for 34 hours.
Ms Lisa Landau (39) was rescued from her submerged car when a passer-by noticed that a piece of bark was missing from a tree. Mr Chaim Factor, a furniture designer, was on his way to his studio in Ashford at about 9 a.m. on Monday when he noticed the bark missing from a tree on a bend in the road. On investigation, he saw the bumper of an upturned car in the bog water below.
The doors and windows were closed and when he couldn't get a reply from anyone in the car, Mr Factor quickly called the guards.
With the help of gardaí and quarry workers, the car was lifted out of the water. Mr Factor realised that it belonged to Ms Landau, a riding instructor who does freelance work at the nearby Bel Air Riding School.
Her car had plunged into the bog at Ballylusk on Saturday evening after she swerved to avoid an oncoming car. "I thought she was dead, to be honest, but then I saw her leg moving," Mr Factor recalled yesterday.
It appeared that Ms Landau had propped herself on to the steering column of the car and received air from a hole in the floor.
Mr Factor said she had turned purple with the cold and appeared to be only semi-conscious. She was rushed to St Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown, and treated for shock and other injuries.
A hospital spokesman said yesterday she was recovering well from her ordeal, while not well enough for media interviews.
Over at Bel Air Riding School, Ms Fidelma Freeman said everyone was delighted to hear that Ms Landau was safe and well. "She is a very good rider, and very serious in doing her work and that's what brought her through this," Ms Freeman said.
Mr Factor said he was looking forward to visiting Ms Landau in hospital and presenting her with a bunch of flowers. "She is a real hero. To have stabilised herself in that condition for so long was just astounding," he said. "She must be an extraordinarily strong individual."
He downplayed his role as a hero, saying: "I don't see it like that. Anyone would have done the same thing." Mr Factor said it wasn't surprising that he had noticed the missing bark on the tree, as he worked with wood and had a love of trees. "It's really quite a remarkable story and it's wonderful that it has ended so happily."
