JYSK colleague saves a man from drowning

Back in March JYSK employee László Csikós from Hungary made a brave decision to jump in the Danube river. A decision that saved another man from drowning in the cold water.

The 21st of March is a day Logistic Responsible at JYSK László Csikós will not forget any time soon. Neither will the man he jumped in the Danube to save.

László was on his way home from training and went to visit his father by the Danube riverbank, when his sister spotted a man struggling in the water in the middle of the river. A boat was about 20 to 30 meters away from the man, but it was too far to throw the life belt to him. So László made a quick and brave decision.

“No one was able to help, and the guy was going up and down in the water. I decided to get the lifebelt from the boat, strip down my clothes and jump from the boat myself. At that point it seemed to be the only solution,” says László Csikós, who has been working at JYSK for the past four years in the city Baja in Hungary.

Valuable experience from water sports

As László swam close to the man, he disappeared under the water and for a second László thought it was too late to save him. But luckily the man returned to the surface and László Csikós gave him the lifebelt and started swimming. He tried to keep talking to the man to keep him conscious, as he swam towards the bank of the river.

When he decided to jump in the water, the 30-year old JYSK colleague did not know whether he would be able to save the man or not, but a lot of experience from water sports gave him the confidence.

 “I just thought, if I don’t jump in the water this guy may die. I’m just grateful it turned out the way it did. I do a lot of watersports, and living by the river gave me confidence after I decided to jump in the water,” says László Csikós, who managed to swim in the water, which was only nine degrees.

A big tap on the shoulder

Thanks to the rescue operation from László the man has now recovered from the incident in the Danube, and László Csikós has received a lot of reactions and recognition both from locals, the major and of course his colleagues in JYSK.

“They were the first ones to tap my shoulders when I got back to work. My colleagues were genuinely happy, not only for me, but also for the outcome of the situation,” says László Csikós, who has also gotten a lot of attention from the Hungarian media.

László Csikós has not only saved a man’s life but also learnt an important lesson from the experience.

“I wouldn’t say this experience has changed me, but taught me, and hopefully some others, to appreciate life even more,” he says.