Burlington, Vermont: A trooper from the Vermont state police jumped into a freezing pond and pulled out an 8-year-old girl who had fallen through the ice while playing with her brothers.
The Troopers Archer and Keith Cote involved in the act are recommended for the agency’s Lifesaving Award. Their brave and heroic acts saved one life and a family. The authorities and the Vermont State Police have praised the troopers for “selfless, heroic conduct.”
The incident happened on Dec. 17 when the four siblings were playing together near a pond outside their house. The state police said in a news release that the girl and her younger sister fell through the thin ice on the pond on private land in the town of Cambridge.
Police said that the 80-year-old homeowner called 911 because she couldn’t reach the bigger girl but was able to pull the younger girl to shore. Police say Trooper Michelle Archer was close and got there in less than five minutes.
A video from her body camera that was shared by state police shows that she got a rope and a flotation device from her cruiser, ran to the pond, and swam to the girl. She swam back to shore with the girl, and as she pulled her out of the water, a second trooper came and carried the child to an ambulance that was already waiting.
The girl was immediately taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington where she received medical attention and recovered.
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