KEY POINTS:
A teenager put his own life at risk trying to save two strangers who plunged into the freezing water of Christchurch's Avon River.
Tama Wilson, 19, with the help of a friend and two off-duty police officers passing by, was able to help save one of two teenagers trapped in a car that had veered off the road and into the river.
After being pulled free from the car in darkness, Evan Pritchard, 19, spent one and a half days on life support and survived. Daniel McIlroy, 19, could not be revived on the banks of the river.
Mr Wilson eventually had to be helped out of the water himself and ended up in hospital with hypothermia.
At a inquest into the death of Mr McIlroy yesterday, Mr Wilson was singled out for special praise.
"It was in the middle of winter. By all reports, the water was very cold," said Christchurch deputy coroner Colin Marshall.
"Tama Wilson in particular was in the water for something over 20 minutes. It would seem clear that Evan Pritchard owes his survivorship to the actions of these people."
Mr McIlroy's parents, Jeff and Margaret, also lauded Mr Wilson's selfless actions.
"I know Tama was very upset that he couldn't save Daniel," Mrs McIlroy said.
The inquest heard yesterday that Daniel McIlroy and Evan Pritchard were driving in Mr Pritchard's family car when it crashed into the river about 2am on June 18, 2005.
Both had been drinking and were well over the legal driving limit, but it was unclear who had been driving as both were found underwater in the rear of the car.
The car had failed a warrant of fitness about three weeks earlier, and a vehicle inspector found several faults that could have contributed to the accident, including two near-bald tyres. The car was estimated to be travelling about 70km/h to 90km/h in a 50km/h zone.
Mr Pritchard later told police he could remember nothing of the accident.
Jeff McIlroy said he and his wife had heard nothing from Mr Pritchard since the crash.
Tama Wilson was driving nearby with Daniel Clark when they saw the car flip into the river. They stopped and jumped straight in.
Mr Wilson went under the water and managed to get a door open.
"I couldn't see anything under the water. I felt a head and went up for a breath of air.
"I called out that there was someone in here. I then dove back under and started to try and pull the person out. The person seemed to be stuck and eventually came free as I pulled. I pulled him out of the car."
Help soon arrived in the form of off-duty police officers who were passing by, Dominic Robinson and Marty Stiles. They helped pull the second person out of the car.
A group of surf lifesavers who were also passing by stopped and performed CPR on both Mr McIlroy and Mr Pritchard until ambulances arrived.
Mr Wilson remembers seeing people performing CPR as he was dragged from the water in an incoherent state.
"People were telling me to pull my jeans off and they said I was in shock."
