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A New Zealand couple hailed as heroes after helping passengers injured in a fatal boat crash in Sydney Harbour have spoken of their dramatic attempts to save an Australian Olympian.
Nelson vets Sandy and Peter Jackson helped several passengers who were seriously hurt when a HarbourCat ferry crashed into a 10m private boat underneath the Harbour Bridge last Wednesday. Three of the 12 passengers were killed and 14-year-old Morgan Innes is still missing.
The Jacksons boarded another ferry, the Golden Grove, just as the accident happened. The Grove was sent to aid the stricken vessels. Sandy said the scene was horrific.
"The boat was still sinking - only the bow of the boat was visible. There was debris all over the place - not only in the water but on the boat itself. There were lots of people in the water and debris and life jackets floating around."
The Jacksons went aboard the ferry to help four injured passengers, including Australian Olympic ice skater Liz Cain. Only the Jacksons, the injured passengers and the skipper and deckhand were on the ferry.
"There were some pretty horrendous injuries," said Peter. "We just had to make sure everybody was stable and get the exposure blankets around the worst of them, which was Liz. Sandy just kept talking to her. The skipper and the deckhand were very distressed."
Peter checked on the three passengers with minor injuries, while Sandy stayed with Cain to try to stem the blood flow and keep her awake.
"She wasn't really conscious at all," Peter continued. "She didn't even really know her name. She was really cold. I think there was just a real crush wound on her legs. She was just as white as a sheet," he said.
Cain later had her leg amputated in hospital.
The Jacksons have been lauded as heroes in Australia and police are likely to recommend their actions be officially recognised. But Peter and Sandy don't think their heroics were anything special.
"It's human nature to come to the aid of people who are in trouble and that's what we did at the time. It's being portrayed as a lot more," said Sandy.
