July 26, 2020 – At a time when Zagreb is suffering from another catastrophe, the good in people prevails once more. Brave Mirna Mrčela saved a man in a sinking car.
Josip Šimić got stuck on Friday night at an underpass at Miramarska street. As a wild storm roamed and the flood was getting bigger, the water almost completely covered Josip’s car. “I asked people whether or not they had called someone to help, and they said they had,” said Mirna for Dnevnik Nove TV. “But I couldn’t just stand there and watch. So I took my shoes and jacket off, tied up my dogs, and went for him,” said Mirna, who knew that every second mattered.
Mirna swam to the sinking car, which locked down automatically, so Josip couldn’t open the door. “I didn’t notice her at first; she appeared out of nowhere,” said Josip, who lost his leg prosthesis in this mess. “When she managed to open the door, I gave her my leg prosthesis and climbed onto the top of the car, which wasn’t sinking anymore.”
While he was waiting for the firefighters to come and pick him up, Mirna swam back with his prosthesis. “I thought I just needed to swim, but you don’t feel comfortable when entering cold water,” said Mirna.
For the ones who are wondering how Josip ended in this situation, he said the road line was no longer visible. “The wet road looks the same as the surface of the road; you do not know if a hole of 2 meters of water will open suddenly. I started braking right away,” said Josip.
Both Mirna and Josip are fine now, grateful for how the situation unfolded. Josip had a chance to say “thank you” to Mirna on national television, and he took it.
