A trooper in the Vermont State Police force is now being hailed as heroes after they acted quickly to save a young girl who was drowning in a frozen pond in mid-December. She had apparently fallen through the ice alongside a six-year-old, and while locals were able to rescue the younger girl, the 8-year-old was in need of rescue.
The incident happened on Sunday, December 17. It was then that Michelle Archer, a Vermont State Police trooper, was on a routine patrol in the area when she received a call about two young girls having fallen through the ice of a private pond. Local media site WCAX reported on the heroic and successful rescue of the young girl.
Rushing to the rescue, Trooper Archer made it to the scene in time and quickly grabbed a rope and flotation device from her police cruiser before rushing to the pond where the young girl was submerged. Acting quickly despite the cold temperature and danger of plunging into a frozen pond, Trooper Archer swam out into the pond to recover and rescue the young girl. She was able to do so and bring the 8-year-old to shore.
Describing the incident in an interview with WCAX, she said, “Just like an adrenaline rush almost before you even get there, something that you know you have to get there as soon as you can.” She continued, “Something took over and I just kicked into gear. I don’t know if it was my training or instinct, but panic wasn’t a thought at that moment.”
Then, describing her thought process about swimming into the pond and recovering the girl, Trooper Archer told the media, “Right here is when I pull her actually out of the water and that’s when I’m thinking to start CPR if needed.”
That was when Trooper Keith Cole arrived and was able to jump into action to relieve the drenched and cold Trooper Archer. Taking over to help out, he, being “dry and warm,” was able to focus on reviving and saving the little girl, eventually getting her into a nearby ambulance. She was taken to the hospital and survived the ordeal.
Commenting on why he took over from Trooper Archer, Trooper Cole told WCAX, “For Michelle to have carried this young girl with completely saturated clothes in the shape that she was in, as cold as she was, I don’t know if anybody would be able to do that. So, that I was dry and warm — priority of life for the little girl was number one.” He added, speaking about the young girl’s health, “The most important outcome is how healthy she is now.”
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Trooper Archer, when asked if she considers herself a hero for what happened on that fateful December day, told the media, “I don’t consider myself a hero. I happened to be the first one there and a job needed to be done. And like I said before, I was there to do that job.” She also noted that a number of things lined up that allowed her to successfully rush to the rescue.
Watch the body cam footage of Trooper Archer rescuing the young girl here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video