A WOMAN said she nearly drowned after falling into a 7ft hole along the riverbank in the north side of the University of Limerick campus recently, only to be saved by her dog.
Mother-of-three Mairéad Guerin went for her usual evening walk along the bank near the Black Bridge, which has been closed off due to floods last year and situated on the Clare side of the campus.
But as she was walking along with her son’s husky dog, Oden, the side of the bank fell away beneath her and she fell into an exposed drain, believed to measure in excess of 7ft.
“I knew the drain was there, but it was never as big as it is now. I nearly drowned. I couldn’t get back up out of the drain. I was completely under the water and couldn’t get my balance.
“I couldn’t get out only that I have a husky, and he’s a pulling dog and I was able to grab on to him to pull me out,” she said.
The 48-year-old housewife, believed she would have drowned if she didn’t bring her son Edward’s dog on her evening walk with her.
“I wasn’t able to get up on my own, and kept slipping back down. It was so mucky I was being suctioned down,” she said.
“His lead fell over the side of the drain, and I grabbed on to it. He pulled away and levered me up.”
She bought the husky dog less than a year ago in Newport, Co Tipperary.
After arriving home she called security at the university who sealed the area off with temporary barriers. But she said they informed her they are not responsible for that particular stretch of area.
She also contacted Limerick County Council and Clare County Council – which also denied ownership and responsibility.
Pat Henchy, an executive engineer with the roads department at the Scarriff office of Clare County Council, said he had not viewed the site.
But he added that he was “quite satisfied” from the description that the area was not owned by the local authority.
A university spokesperson said “in the interest of public safety the University of Limerick has erected a barrier at this area on the riverbank in order to avoid a recurrence of this unfortunate incident”.
Limerick County Council was unavailable for comment.