COLLINSVILLE, Ill. — With only dog leashes for a safety line, a Collinsville police officer waded into icy waters to rescue a woman trapped in her car after driving into a retention pond over the weekend.
Just after 1:30 pm on Saturday, Officer Dylan Madron waded into the water off Eastport Plaza Drive in Collinsville, Illinois. The woman's car was sinking slowly and was submerged up to the top of the windows by the time Madron made it to her.
Madron started immediately pounding on the driver's side window, desperately trying to break it open. When fire crews arrived, firefighter and paramedic Jason Warner trudged into the pond with tools to help break open a window. Warner successfully broke through and pulled the woman to safety. By the time of her rescue, the car was almost fully submerged.
From start to finish, the rescue took about five minutes and was caught on camera.
“Any time a vehicle enters the water with someone inside, time is of the essence," Collinsville fire Chief John Bailot said. "With water temperatures at freezing, the time clock is sped up exponentially. If it was not for the quick actions of officer Madron and firefighter Warner, the outcome of this incident, in my mind, would have been very different. The actions of Madron and Warner saved a life.”
The woman was taken to a local hospital after the rescue.
Madron also went in to have his hands treated for minor injuries, which he sustained while attempting to break the driver's side glass.