Boy, 17, helps save man, 83, and his dog from icy Iowa lake after Jeep falls off bridge
DICKINSON COUNTY, IOWA: A 17-year-old boy and four others rescued an 83-year-old man and his dog after his Jeep plummeted off a bridge and broke through the icy surface of a lake. The incident took place on Saturday, February 4, when Thomas Lee, 83, and his dog Cooper, 6, got trapped inside the car after Lee drove it off the Highway 71 bridge on East Okoboji Lake, Dickinson County in Iowa at around 3 pm.
Luckily, around that time, Joe Salmon, 17, of Spirit Lake was ice fishing with his mother near the lake when he spotted the Jeep enter the cold water. He immediately jumped into action and dragged the elderly and his dog to safety. Salmon was joined by Corey McConnell, 30, of Spirit Lake, Kody Harrelson, 26, of Nevada, Cody Chester, 27, of Estherville, and Chris Parks, 27, of Hawarden in the rescue mission. The Okoboji High School junior immediately dialed 911 before diving into the water which was around three to four feet deep at the location where the Jeep broke through. "I took one step and [the water] went to about my chest," he told the Des Moines Register.
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'All the windows were locked'
The group of five first worked to drag the dog out of the sinking car. Salmon reportedly spotted the dog when he jumped up on the back bumper and noticed something moving in the backseat of the vehicle. "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." After successfully shattering the glass, the teen scooped the dog out and tossed him several feet across the icy lake toward the four others. The dog landed in the water and swam its way to safety before getting pulled out of the water by two of the men.
On the other hand, the elderly man was found in a state of shock and the water had reached up to his chest by that time. Salmon explained that the man’s foot was stuck between the center console and the seat. Thus, he had to pull the console up to release him. Lee was then able to exit the vehicle through the back window with the assistance of one of the other men and Salmon.
'I'm happy that he was okay'
Lee, who took shelter at the Okoboji Storewas after the rescue, was taken to Lakes Regional Healthcare. Upon observation, he and Cooper were reported to be fine. "I'm happy that he was okay and the dog was okay. It was just crazy at the time," Salmon, who lost one of his shoes during the rescue, told the Des Moines Register. The teen, who is on the wrestling, football, and track team, was examined by the ambulance crew for minor cuts from the glass and received dry clothes from the Okoboji Store, as did the other men.
"I've never done anything like that," Salmon admitted to the local outlet. Lee said that he wanted to "thank the people who helped and the store that took the dog in and dried him off." The Jeep was recovered on Sunday, as per the DailyMail.