THE wife of a disabled man who tumbled into a lake in Melbourne`s northwest struggled frantically to keep his head above water before he could be rescued.
The middle-aged man was discovered floating face down in a manmade lake at Taylors Lakes just before 3pm (AEST) today, police said.
He had been "getting fresh air" when the accident occurred underneath Sunshine Avenue and was discovered by his wife and a neighbour, police spokeswoman Marika Fengler said.
"The man in the wheelchair apparently has limited mobility," she told AAP.
"His wife went to look for him, and a neighbour, and they found him face down in the lake.
"They attempted to pull him out but he was still strapped in his wheelchair and was too heavy."
The pair kept the unconscious man`s head above water before emergency services arrived, Ms Fengler said.
The man, believed to be aged in his late 40s to early 50s, was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition.
The incident is not considered suspicious, police said.
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