Police save man from river but have to be rescued after getting stuck in mud

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Police taking a casualty to hospital had to be rescued themselves after driving their van across muddy grass and getting stuck.

Officers rushed to Howard Park in Kilmarnock after a man was reported to be in difficulties in the swollen river there. They helped the casualty from the water and put him in the back of the van, then set off for Crosshouse Hospital.But despite heavy rain over Saturday that had made the park waterlogged, the police driver took a short cut across the grass - only for the van to quickly get stuck.Officers tried pushing and wedging tree branches and floormats under the tyres while the man was transferred to another vehicle.A squad car arrived from the nearby police station but was unsuitable and eventually a powerful 4x4 traffic cruiser arrived and towed the Transit-style van free, leaving the grass churned up and muddy.An onlooker said: "They were at it for an hour and it did seem a bit Keystone Cops but to be fair, officers provide cover from other areas and they may not have realised how saturated that ground was, although I wouldn't have done it."Because of the pressure the ambulance service is under just now, people who only need a check-up and some walking wounded are getting taken to casualty by the police."A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "At around 12.35pm on Saturday, February 5, police and emergency services responded to a 'concern for person' call at the Kilmarnock Water at Howard Park, Kilmarnock."A 55-year-old man was rescued from the water by police and taken to Crosshouse Hospital."During the rescue, a police vehicle got stuck in a grassy area but was recovered by officers a short time later.