Braving frigid waters to rescue a drowning man, Tauranga, 12 August 2013TOI698 Senior Constable Thomas Deane O’ConnorThe New Zealand Bravery MedalSenior Constable Thomas Deane O’ConnorOn the evening of 12 August 2013, shortly after 1800, a vehicle travelling on the Maungatapu Causeway Bridge towards Mount Maunganui crossed the centreline and into the path of an oncoming van. The van and its two occupants spun into the railing of the bridge, crashing through it and dropping five metres into Tauranga Harbour. Constable Deane O’Connor was the first Police unit to arrive at the scene. Constable O’Connor grabbed the passenger, towing him for some 40 minutes in the dark to the opposite shoreline. Constable O’Connor placed himself at risk to help the passenger, who given the conditions would have been unlikely to save himself.