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Microsoft man saves drowning woman

iPodestrians miss cries for help

The cries of a drowning woman were missed by headphone-sporting joggers, leaving her to be rescued by a Microsoft worker.

Matt Drury, a security guard at Microsoft's Kings Meadow HQ was cycling home along the towpath when heard a woman's gasp followed by a splash.

But the Microsoft man was beaten to the dive by a man called Chris who works for Yell, who leapt into the water first.

Drury also dived in, and with the help of a third man on a boat the woman was dragged to the bank The Reading Post reports.

Drury said: "I was going towards the lock when I heard a gasp and a splash. I turned around and saw it was a woman in the water in distress. She was lying on her back in the water but her head was under water and her legs were sticking up.

"I screamed for help and threw my bike down. Another man jumped straight in and, with the help of another man who was on a riverboat, we pulled her out."

Having thrown up some Thames, she was taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital and will, apparently, make a full recovery.

The joggers, sheathed within their headphones, wear the halo of distortion* so missed the entire thing. But at least they weren't hit by a crashing helicopter as happened to one chap in 2008 who must have had the volume up really loud.

If one's personal stereo is drowning out a helicopter, then the volume is probably up too high, but drowning out a gasp and a splash seems easy enough.

Drury said: “As usual there were joggers on the path. I saw a group of them run straight past her before I got there, but they had their headphones in and they couldn’t hear her.

“They should just keep their headphones in one ear so they can hear what’s happening around them.” ®

* as Fish would have it

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