Two Vermont State Troopers saved an eight-year-old girl from drowning in frigid water after she slipped through the ice into a pond in northwestern Vermont in December, a newly released police video showed.
Trooper Michelle Archer was on routine patrol Dec. 17 when she received a distress call about two girls who had fallen through the ice into a private pond in the town of Cambridge, local CBS affiliate WCAX Channel 3 News first reported Friday. A bystander had pulled one of the girls, aged six years, out to safety, but could not rescue the other, an eight-year-old girl, the outlet reported.
The video provided by MyNBC 5 WPTZ showed Trooper Archer seizing a flotation device from her police cruiser and heading to the pool. She threw the flotation device and a rope into the water, dived in, swam toward the limp girl, and swam out with her.
“Call rescue!” Trooper Archer can be heard calling out to her colleague, identified as Trooper Keith Cote, while the girl moaned and retched.
Trooper Archer could be seen applying some pressure to the girl’s chest and then turning her sideways.
“Keith, she’s making noises! She’s making noise! Can you grab an arm? Let’s bring her closer,” Trooper Archer said, the video shows
“Come here, baby girl,” Trooper Cote repeatedly said to the girl, before carrying her away to an ambulance nearby. (RELATED: SHOCKING: Officers Save A Baby’s Life After Attempted Drowning By Mother)
The girl was brought to the University of Vermont Medical Center and was later discharged having regained her health, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The girl had been playing with siblings when she slipped into the pond, according to The AP.
Vermont State Police (VSP) officials commended the two Troopers and the homeowner who rescued one of the girls “for their selfless, heroic conduct,” The AP reported. All three reportedly were nominated for the VSP Lifesaving Award.