Police body cameras give us an inside glimpse of some of the most dramatic rescues ever made.
One day in February in Miami, Florida, a father was driving with his 3-year-old son strapped into a carseat when he swerved to avoid another driver, causing his car to spin out and leave the roadway. Unfortunately, the vehicle then plunged into a nearby canal and swiftly began to sink.
Panicked witnesses called 911, and members of the Miami-Dade Police Department rushed to the scene. As soon as they arrived, they knew they’d need backup. The car was stuck underneath a bridge, and the steep sides of the canal made it nearly impossible to access the vehicle.
The driver had made “heroic” efforts to get his child out, but had failed. Cops arrived knowing a 3-year-old’s life hung in the balance, and they could only empathize with the terrified father.
“This one was different because, as a father, when you hear a child is underwater in a vehicle and a parent can’t get ’em out, the first thing that goes through your head is guilt,” recalled Officer Emanuel Walton III, who was among the first to arrive on the scene.
As the seconds ticked by, Officer Walton plunged into the water, held his breath, and went inside the sunken car.
“I couldn’t see through the water, so I had to come back up a couple of times,” he said, describing how he used his sense of touch to locate the car seat. “I pulled it as hard as I could, because I couldn’t figure out where the seatbelt was … luckily it broke off.”
More tense moments followed as the officers waited for him to emerge. At last, he came up for air, the child clutched firmly in his arms.
The boy was not breathing when he was pulled from the car, so he was passed through the waiting hands to another officer, who performed CPR. After several chest compressions, the child started to breathe… and cry.
“When the baby started crying I started crying too, because it was the best cry I’ve ever heard in my life,” said another officer involved in the rescue.
We don’t need another reason to be thankful to first responders, but this gives us one, nevertheless! We’re so glad that a terrible day for everyone involved had such a happy ending.
Watch the video below to see the tense body cam footage, and don’t forget to share.
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