By: Joni Boyd
Libby Garness made headlines this week, when her car landed in a Lagoon on Sunday – but when she chatted with us, she shared a different story to the one making headlines.
As a self-described “Swans tragic”, after a big week and a late night out at the Swans game, Libby was driving tired early on Sunday morning.
“I had a micro sleep,” she said in our interview. “I went into the creek which I didn’t even know was there. All I could see were these reeds beside me and it was almost like I was in Moses’ basket, just going down the river.
“Then all of a sudden, my car was stopped, and it wasn’t a jolt, it was very gentle as the car stopped.”
Libby’s car was facing a bridge and despite it being 1am, there was a person on the bridge, who saw the whole thing happen.
“I couldn’t see how old he was or anything – and my immediate thought was ‘Please don’t be just taking a TikTok,’” she said with a laugh.
19-year-old Jack, who was riding his bike over the bridge at the time, saw Libby flash her lights and immediately called the police, giving them Libby’s location.
“I picked [up my phone] and I went to ring [000], and I was in shock obviously, so I didn’t know how to call the number – I couldn’t remember the number.”
Libby eventually got onto the police but was unable to give them her location, due to the shock. They stayed with her on the phone while she waited for help to arrive.
“I didn’t know where I was, so thank goodness Jack was there because he could tell the police the location,” Libby said.
“If the car had been turned the other way, I wouldn’t have seen him, I wouldn’t have flashed my lights, he wouldn’t have known that there was someone in the car so that’s the first miracle.
“The second one was [that] the water didn’t rise quickly.”
Despite there being water in the car, it rose very slowly, allowing time for the police to arrive.
“The next thing I saw, there was a policewoman standing beside the passenger door,” Libby said. “She was in the water… she said to me, ‘Can you open the door?’ and I tried, and I couldn’t. And she then tried to open the passenger door and she shut it really quickly because the water started coming in quickly.
“I turned and I looked at her and I looked at her eyes, and it was supernatural. I don’t know how to describe it any more than – it was like I was looking at Jesus.”
In that moment, Libby realised she was unable to open the window any further.
“I’m not a small person, and the window on the car was half open,” she said. “Even a small child wouldn’t be able to do it. I swam out of there, like I was swimming with dolphins,” she said of the moment she left the car.
“It was so peaceful, so calm, I had not a scratch on me. The next thing I knew, I was on the bank, and I was in an ambulance and off to hospital.”
Moments later, the car was fully submerged.
News outlets around the country are hailing Probationary Constable Kiesha McJannet as a hero. Libby agrees.
“I was miraculously saved in the early hours of Sunday morning, returning home after a fabulous Sydney Swans 3 from 3 win,” she said in a Facebook post.
“I owe my life to an amazing rookie policewoman and her partner, a man standing on the bridge above me and some amazing emergency, ambulance and healthcare professionals. They truly are heroes and my eternal thanks goes to them.”
Libby says that while she has “so much more respect for first responders, healthcare workers, they were amazing”, she believes Jesus was orchestrating the whole thing.
“If that hadn’t happened in that car, I would’ve drowned in the next five minutes,” she said. “It was Jesus that pulled me out and I know now, I know He has saved me, but he’s also given me a platform to give Him the glory.
“He’s making me tell the world about Him and His love for me and how He saved the world, He’s there to save everyone at Easter, my favourite time of the year,” she said.
“I feel completely at peace because I believe I experienced a miracle. I believe I’ve had a real encounter with Jesus, and it’s brought me so much closer to Him.
“I just know He’s there and He’s helping me with every little thing and everything does work together for good.”
Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.
Feature image: YouTube Story Screenshot
About the Author: Joni Boyd is a writer, based in the Hawkesbury Region of NSW. She is passionate about the power of stories shared, to transform lives.