'Drunk dad' clings to fence after being swept away by floods outside pub
A 'drunk' UK man was caught clinging to a railing as water rushed over his head in an attempt to make it home to his family on Boxing day.
The unnamed man, wearing a black jumper, attempts to hold on to a railing as a rushing river of water takes him out as onlookers watch helplessly on the other side of the street.
The man disappears underwater for over 10 seconds before emerging out of the dirty water and clings on to the 1.5m fence, an act which may have saved his life.
Russell Marland, 49, said he began recording the man clinging for his life outside the Golden Lion in Todmorden, West Yorkshire to help the pub clean up after hearing it was badly damaged from the floods, Daily Mail reported.
"When we got there we found the water so high and moving so fast that it was impossible to get across to the pub," Mr Marland told the publication.
This is when Mr Marland claims to have seen the man trying to cross the water to get over to the opposite side.
"He was extremely drunk and was trying to cross the water to get to our side. We were all shouting at him to stay over there but he wouldn't listen," Mr Marland said.
"We felt helpless. We all thought he was going to get swept away."
According to reports the pub landowner, Matthanee ‘Gigi’ Nilavongse, 36, managed to pull the man in through the window of the pub, where he had already been barred from before.
Mr Marland said he stopped filming because he thought the man was going to die and claims he must of been in there for a good 10 or 15 minutes.
Gigi said she and people inside the pub heard shouting outside who was in a dangerous situation.
"I saw it was a man who we have barred from the pub for being too drunk months ago but he was in a very dangerous situation here," she told the publication.
According to reports, Gigi asked the man why he was doing something so dangerous and he replied saying he was trying to get home to see his baby and partner.
"He was very drunk. He is lucky to be alive."
