AN armed police officer has been hailed a hero for saving a drowning colleague despite being seriously injured himself.
He fractured his pelvis and badly injured his spine when their Thames police boat crashed.
Weighed down by his uniform, sub-machine gun and kit, he swam to his unconscious pal, who was face down after they were thrown out of their rigid inflatable boat at Westminster Bridge.
He flipped him over and kept him afloat until help arrived.
One source said: “The guy saved his colleague’s life even though he had terrible injuries himself. It was an extraordinary thing to do.’’
The hero officer is still in a wheelchair facing months of recuperation before being able to walk properly again.
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In July, he was part of an anti-terror patrol called to help a lifeboat save a person in the water by Battersea Bridge, three miles up river.
But their boat hit an arch under Westminster Bridge at high speed.
Tourists watching above feared there had been an explosion on board.
The lifeboat turned round and plucked the officers from the river.
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They were taken to hospital with three other colleagues, including the seriously injured driver.
An investigation is under way.