You’re Fab: Rescuer thanked for saving mum and son

A pregnant young mother who was pulled to safety after jumping into a river to save the life of her special needs son has thanked her rescuer.

Liz O’Brien, a mother of four, had collected her three older children from Tralee’s CBS primary school and was on her way back to their grandmother’s house by a well-known short cut along what is known as “The Big River” when Derek, 10, fell into the water on Jan 8.

Ms O’Brien, who is six months’ pregnant, immediately leapt into the water. She managed to reach the nearby bridge and the two of them clung to it.

Fabien Lugandu, 56, a father of four who had also been at the school to collect his children, heard her screams, raced to the scene and pulled them to safety.

Yesterday, Ms O’Brien said she and her son, who is mildly deaf and has a disorder, were still shaken, but Derek was back at school. “Without Fabien, we would have drowned. He saved our lives,” she said.

Tragically, the same river claimed the life of Derek’s cousin, Jennifer, 47 years ago, when she was just two. Residents want a safety audit carried out immediately.