Elderly man rescued from Victorian river after mobility scooter fail

An elderly man was heading to his secret fishing spot in rural Victoria when things took a dramatic turn and he had to be rescued by police last month.

An elderly man was heading to his secret fishing spot in rural Victoria when things took a dramatic turn and he had to be rescued by police last month.

The brakes on the 82-year-old's mobility scooter failed and he plunged into the Wimmera River in Horsham, Victoria Police said in a Facebook post.

The man found himself unable to escape the cold water, but, luckily, a quick-thinking child spotted him and called Triple 000.

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It took a dozen rescuers to pull the mobility scooter from the water after it became stuck in the mud.

Horsham police officers rushed to the scene and jumped into the river to help pull the distressed man to safety.

Extra police officers arrived shortly after to administer first aid until Ambulance Victoria could take over.

But the rescue effort wasn't over yet.

The Horsham SES team arrived shortly after and helped secure ropes to the submerged scooter. 

It took a dozen people pulling together to haul the scooter back onto dry land, with Victoria Police adding the machine was "seriously heavy when stuck in the mud".

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