Flat Bridge hero would love a national award

Little over 30 years ago, though she was nine months pregnant, when Donna Williams saw a car plunge into the Rio Cobre, her only thought was to help.

“A Lada was coming from Ochi side to Spanish Town and it a come with a speed and just plunge off in the river. Mi run off like mi nuh have nothing inside of mi. Mi see four man in the water and mi see about two a dem go down and mi know say dem dead, and a next person rescue one. Mi memba say mi see one up a the top and mi run go back up there and start do mi ting,” she said.

“Him say him can’t swim and mi in deh with a stick and him in the water and it just a box the two a we left and right and mi manage to pull him out. The next day I feel some pain inna mi belly bottom when mi come out come sell and it was like blessing because mi sell all of mi goods that day. Couple days after mi have baby,” Williams added.

The 58-year-old is one of the many unsung heroes who have risked their lives to save others. Only a few have ever returned to express gratitude, but Williams said she does not regret diving into the waters for a rescue or recovery. Her biggest dream though is to shake hands with Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and to be recognised on National Heroes Day.

“I would want to dress up and do the little march up to him. Mi want to mi know the GG man. Is more than 30 years mi a do things on the [Bog Walk] gorge and mi never get a honour like that. I would love to be honoured on Heroes Day man, because dem say mi a unsung hero,” Williams said.

A resident of Crescent district in St Catherine, Williams has been swimming in the Rio Cobre since she was about nine years old.

“Sometimes my friends would get into difficulty and I would help to save them. Mi see mi friend dem take in water and mi have to go behind dem and squeeze dem and water come through all dem nose,” she said. Currently, she said she has not been saving any lives as she no longer hustles for a living along the gorge due to a decrease in traffic. She however stated that she is sometimes called to assist with the removal of bodies and vehicles.

“When mi save people mi feel light and mi will all skip but when dem drown mi feel bad. Nuff time mi help pull out dead body and mi feel sorry for dem,” Williams said.

She said while she would like to save everyone who plunges over Flat Bridge, there are some situations that are beyond her control.

“One girl come years ago and mi never save her. She come outta di blue and say the Lord say mi do it and mi keep on a ask weh the Lord say she must do. Mi end up go back to mi stall and she was there doing all type a antics and the next ting mi know, she make one jump in the water,” she recalled. Williams said the woman never resurfaced and her body was found days later.

The River Mumma is deeply tied to the history and dangers of Flat Bridge— the historic 18th-century structure built by enslaved Africans that lacks guardrails and is prone to severe flooding. Folklore dictates that when the Rio Cobre turns a specific “lizard-green” colour, it is a sign that the River Mumma, who is the alleged mysterious guardian of the river, is surfacing. Williams said although she had not seen the creature, she is convinced that it is real.

“She is a very pretty girl inna mi dream. She hold mi inna mi dream and ask if mi a dirty up her river and mi tell her no because mi more tell people not to do it. Mi beg her a chance and she let mi go. Next morning when mi wake and come a Flat Bridge, mi raging mad and tell dem not to dirty up the place because dem nago make the River Mumma kill mi,” she said.

Because Flat Bridge has been the site of many tragic vehicular accidents, local superstition often blames her for pulling cars into the depths as a penalty for those who disrespect the river or fail to appease her. Conversely, some tales claim she occasionally rescues passengers from the water. Williams also told THE WEEKEND STAR that divers have found abnormal things in the water, including bottles with smelly, mysterious liquids, as well as chicken heads in a nearby cotton tree.

“Some breed a tings mi see round here man,” she said.