A high school student and several strangers jumped into action to save an elderly man and his dog after his car fell through an ice-covered lake in Iowa, dramatic drone footage of the rescue shows.
Thomas Lee, 83, and his 6-year-old pup Cooper were heading to his son-in-law’s fishing shack when his Jeep plunged through the ice into the frigid waters of East Okoboji Lake in Dickinson County around 3 p.m. on Saturday, The Des Moines Register reported.
Joe Salmon, 17, who was ice-fishing with his mother and watching snowmobile races nearby, called 911 and jumped into the water without hesitation to help as the vehicle began sinking.
Corey McConnell, 30; Kody Harrelson, 26; Cody Chester, 27; and Chris Parks, 27; also helped pull the man and dog to safety, according to the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office.
Parks told the newspaper that the lake was about 3 to 4 feet deep where it fell through.
Salmon — a wrestler, football player and track runner — said Lee appeared to be in shock as the group told him to get out of the car.
“I took one step and [the water] went to about my chest,” he told The Register. “I got on the bumper of the rear and tried opening the back door, but all the windows were locked, but one guy gave me a knife and I hit the back glass a couple of times.”
Drone footage shows Salmon repeatedly bashing the rear window of the submerged black jeep.
The glass shattered and Salmon was able to grab Cooper from the back. Video shows Salmon pick up the dog and toss him into the water before the other man pulled him to safety on the solid ice.
The clip then shows Salmon climb headfirst towards Lee as another man jumps in the water to help.
Lee’s foot had gotten stuck between the driver’s seat and the center console as the water rose to his waist, Salmon said. He pulled the center console up to free him. He said Lee got stuck once more before they got him out through the back.
Video shows a rescuer guide Lee from the water to the ice where he is pulled up. Salmon had to jump into the freezing lake once more before he pulled himself out.
Lee was taken to Lee Lakes Regional Healthcare for treatment. Luckily he and Cooper were not injured.
Salmon was treated at the scene for some minor cuts from the broken glass and got some dry clothes from the Okoboji Store. He told The Register he went back to ice fishing and caught two fish.
“I’m happy that he was OK and the dog was OK. It was just crazy at the time,” Salmon said. “I’ve never done anything like that.”
The teenager lost his shoes during the rescue and the Okoboji High School Track Team tweeted at Nike asking for the company to replace the shoes. While they haven’t answered, ESPN’s Marty Smith said he would send Salmon a fresh pair.
