After a chase

Police officers rescue Carinthian from the freezing Lavant river

Mert Ünver (25) and his colleague Teresa Nößler (24) became lifesavers.(Bild: Polizei Kärnten)

What began with a night-time pursuit of a cyclist through the center of Wolfsberg ended with his life being saved. 

Mert Ünver (25) and his colleague Teresa Nößler (24), two police officers from Wolfsberg police station, had certainly not expected such an operation when they were driving through Wolfsberg town center as part of their patrol duty. At around 4 a.m., they noticed a cyclist riding away on his bike when he saw the police. "They briefly lost sight of the fugitive and only found his bike on the cycle path in the area of the 'Yellow Bridge'," said the police, describing the curious incident.

"Clinging desperately to a branch"
What had happened? Ünver and Nößler were searching the area for the man when they suddenly spotted him in the Lavant. "He was clinging desperately to a branch and his entire body was in the water. Due to the strong current and the cold water temperature, he was unable to free himself from this life-threatening situation," said the police, describing the anxious moments. 

The police found the man's bicycle here at the "Yellow Bridge"(Bild: Georg Bachhiesl)

Apparently, the man from Wolfsberg wanted to escape from the officers by crossing the Lavant.(Bild: Georg Bachhiesl)

Because the branch the man was clinging to was threatening to break, the young man was already completely exhausted and obviously couldn't hold on any longer, the officers didn't hesitate for a second: "Ünver got into the water near the bank and was secured by his patrol partner by his upper lead clothing." The police officer was only just able to reach the man floating in the river about three meters away and secure him.

It was only thanks to the courageous and swift intervention of the officers that the 23-year-old was prevented from being swept away by the current of the Lavant

lobt die Dienststelle ihre Beamten

"Ünver was already completely soaked himself - due to the strong current, he was only able to pull the man to shore with extreme effort," the police continued. Until the ambulance arrived, the 23-year-old man from Wolfsberg, who was completely hypothermic, was warmed by his rescuers with an insulating blanket. But why did the man run away when he saw the police officers? And why did he choose such a dangerous route?

Without hesitation, the two police officers rescued the man from the river.(Bild: Polizei Kärnten)

Man fled out of fear
"The only thing he said about his escape was that he was afraid of the police at the time," said the statement. The man was neither under the influence of alcohol nor drugs. "It was only thanks to the courageous and swift intervention of Ünver and Nößler that the 23-year-old was prevented from being swept away by the current of the Lavant," said the department, praising its officers.