Aurora Officers Rescue Woman From Vehicle Submerged In Pond
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Two police officers are credited with saving a woman's life after her vehicle ended up in a retention pond off Interstate 225.
According to Aurora Police, at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday officers responded to a report of a vehicle in a pond at the 6th Avenue exit.
Sgt. Jon Kessler and Officer Marc Sears were the first officers to arrive and saw an unresponsive woman inside the submerged vehicle. Sears says it was a split second decision to jump in the cold water.
"I either go in the water or that person dies. I'm going in the water," he said.
The woman was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered to be life-threatening. Police say she was driving northbound on the off-ramp at 6th Avenue when the car somehow ended up in the retention pond.
"She was shaking really bad because the water was extremely cold," Sears said. "We were able to get the seat belt off her and grab her under her arms and drag her back to shoreline."
Aurora Police say their officers were uninjured and only required a dry uniform after the rescue.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation. It's not clear if a traffic violation was to blame. They will investigate everything from speed to distraction, among other things. The traffic division says the accident is reminder about how important it is to drive for the conditions around you, especially as the weather changes.
Sears says it feels good to have helped the woman.
"That's why we do this job."
Traffic Officer Al Graham says Aurora Police has a new team that will investigate high speed and aggressive driving cases along with highways, called the Heat Team. That team will look at the retention pond accident to see if they have any idea what may have happened.
"Anytime there's bad conditions: rain, snow, slush ... it's imperative that people slow down because cars don't stop, steer or behave the same," Graham said.
The victim's car is still in the water. Police plan to keep the car here until they can remove it safely when the rain stops and the water recedes.
Jennifer Brice is a reporter with CBS4 focusing on crime and courts. Follow her on Twitter @CBS4Jenn.
