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An ex-soldier and father-of-three was killed after trying to save two women who got into distress in the water in a paddleboarding accident.<\/p>\n
It has been claimed Paul O\u2019Dwyer, 42, jumped into the Cleddau river in Pembrokeshire, Wales, to try to save the lives of two others.<\/p>\n
He tragically lost his life along with two women, while one other remains in critical condition in the ICU of Withybush Hospital.<\/p>\n
Emergency services pulled five other uninjured people out of the river on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Paddleboarder Vickie Mckinven, from Milford Haven, was part of the group and claims Mr O'Dwyer was trying to save "two girls" following an unexpected downpour.<\/p>\n
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Speaking to the Mirror, she said: "Absolutely heartbreaking, was all good friends.<\/p>\n
"And did so much to raise money for charities."<\/p>\n
There was a group of nine people in total on the river, from the South Wales Paddle Boarders and Salty Dog Co, an organisation based in Port Talbot.<\/p>\n
Mr O'Dwyer, from Port Talbot, was a former soldier with The Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers 108 Welsh Squadron militia and was an avid fundraiser for charity.<\/p>\n
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According to WalesOnline, he also founded an armed forces charity called Sa1ute, which helps support veterans.<\/p>\n
Friend and business partner Lee West said: "I had only messaged Paul yesterday about meeting up to talk about charity plans after lockdown. It's hard to believe that I will not now ever get a reply from him or go on our crazy adventures.<\/p>\n
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"Paul enjoyed SUPing (stand-up paddle-boarding) and had been on an instructors' course and was going along on that excursion. He was physically fit – he'd done an Ironman and he was a former lifeguard, so he was a very good swimmer. He was just a genuinely lovely, lovely man."<\/p>\n
Just over a week before the incident, Mr O'Dwyer had raised over \u00a34,000 during a 24-hour paddle boarding marathon to raise money for Heart Screening in Wales to detect heart abnormalities early.<\/p>\n
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In 2016, Mr O'Dwyer and his friend Lee raised awareness of homelessness by sleeping rough while cycling from Swansea to London.<\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for Dyfed-Powys Police said: "Three people have died and one remains in hospital following a multi-agency river rescue in Pembrokeshire yesterday.<\/p>\n
"Dyfed-Powys Police received reports of people in distress in the Cleddau River in Haverfordwest shortly after 9am on Saturday, October 30.<\/p>\n
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"A group of nine adults from the South Wales area had travelled to Pembrokeshire for a paddle-boarding excursion.<\/p>\n
"The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated, but it is believed that the group got into difficulty in the water.<\/p>\n
"Sadly two women and a man died at the scene, and a woman remains in a critical condition in hospital.<\/p>\n
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"Next of kin are being supported by specialist Family Liaison Officers."<\/p>\n
Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Rees said a full investigation is already underway.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said: "A team of inspectors from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has deployed to Haverfordwest to undertake a preliminary assessment of the accident, working in co-operation with other agencies.<\/p>\n
"The aim of the MAIB\u2019s preliminary assessment is to help with determining the way forward."<\/p>\n