Three Illinois police officers dove into the freezing water of a reservoir and broke a car window to save a young family – including their toddler – who was trapped inside and slowly sinking below the surface.
“Smash it, break it!” an officer can be heard saying in body camera footage moments before his partner smashed the window, sending the glass exploding into the water.
The shocking footage opens with police rushing to the scene last week shortly after the SUV plunged into a pond in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, the police department said today.
After confirming with witnesses that the family was unable to escape on their own, officers entered the water without hesitation despite the sub-freezing temperatures that hit the state for the New Year.
They desperately tried to open the door, but quickly realized that it wouldn’t budge.
That’s when they broke the window and climbed through the opening instead — which sent the terrified 2-year-old into hysterics.
“You’re okay, honey!” the father can be heard reassuring his daughter, even as his own fear lingers in his voice.
The family drove into the retention pond after the driver mistook the gas pedal for the brake, police said. Facebook/Naperville Police Department
An officer quickly carried the little girl – whose car seat was in waist-deep water – to safety on land while their partner managed to open the front door for her parents.
The pair had sunk into chest-deep water by the time they were freed.
“I’m sorry,” said the woman between tears and shaking badly.
Police first rescued the 2-year-old girl, who was sitting in waist-deep water. Facebook/Naperville Police Department
The family received medical attention, as well as one of their rescuers, who was treated for minor cuts and exposed to a cold, WGN9 reported.
“Their ability to stay calm and do what needed to be done to help the panicking family is commendable!” said the police in a statement.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the plunge was an accident that occurred after the driver of the SUV mistook the gas for the brake pedal.
Officers broke the window open when they realized the door wouldn’t budge. Facebook/Naperville Police Department
The extraordinary rescue comes just a week after Florida police and firefighters formed a human chain to recover a car full of gifts that crashed into a watery ditch.
First responders go back in for Christmas presents after rescuing a mother and her three young children from the wreckage of a plane.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
