NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE
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South Simcoe Police Service officers took the extra initiative and wound up rescuing a 69-year-old Bradford woman who had been stuck in her bathtub for nearly three days.
Police were called to a home on Line 10 in Bradford around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 by a concerned friend who had been unable to contact the woman.
When officers arrived, there were no lights on visible from the front of the home, a car was in the garage and the house was locked. While checking the back, officers noticed a light on in an upper level window. Police lifted themselves up to the window to look inside and discovered it was the upstairs bathroom. Officers couldn't see anything unusual but then heard a woman's voice call out for help from the bathtub.
Left with no other option to gain entry, officers kicked in the front door, went upstairs and found the woman sitting in the bathtub.
She explained she had been suffering from the flu, went to take a bath and was unable to lift herself out despite many attempts. With no phone in reach, she had been stuck in the tub for approximately 70 hours without food and only water to drink from the tub faucet.
Paramedic Services arrived, examined the woman and with the help of police removed her from the tub for a thorough examination by EMS. She declined to go to hospital but told officers she viewed the incident as a wake up call to get extra help with her day-to-day living. She also vowed to install a walk-in bathtub.
Police called the woman's friend to thank her for reporting her concerns and tell her that the woman was safe.
South Simcoe Police Service would like to commend this woman's friend for calling us to check on the woman's well-being. A caring community involves neighbours and friends looking out for each other. We are all partners in this important equation in public safety. Kudos to our officers for their diligence in going beyond a cursory check and possibly saving a life.
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