On Thursday, a 65-year-old man walking his dog across a frozen lake in East Bay Township, Michigan, fell through the ice and into the frigid waters below. Witnesses along the beach called 911, and Michigan State Police Trooper Cameron Bennett quickly responded.
Bennett, 30, arrived quickly on the scene, but also had to find a way to mount a rescue without being trapped on the other side of the lake. Luckily, the man's dog, Brittany, was happy to help the man who was flooded with water.
Body camera footage shows a bystander pointing out the gap in the dog's shadow at Lake Arbutus where the Traverse City man dove. The officer retrieved a rescue disc from his cruiser, tied a rope to it and headed onto the ice.
Bennett was able to get about 40 feet from shore, but was unable to reach the man because of uncertainty about the solidity of the ice ahead. The police officer throws a rescue disc to the man. The first attempt failed, but the dog got excited and gave Mr. Bennett an idea.
“I went back to the tool in front of me. All I had in front of me was a dog, so I could use that dog,” Bennett later said.
Said people. “I saw her ready to go to her job.”
“Send your puppy here. Will it come?” Mr Bennett can be heard shouting at the man submerged in the freezing water.
The man said the dog's name was Ruby.
“Ruby, come here! Come here, Ruby!” the officer yells.
After several whistles and another call, the dog ran out to Mr. Bennett.
“Will she notice this?” the officer asked as he coiled the rope. Ruby quickly shows that she is ready to do more.
After securing the disc and rope to Ruby's collar, Bennetts yelled, “Call her! Call her!”
Bennett, who has been with the unit for two years, later said, “Within a minute you lose your finger dexterity, you lose your words, you lose everything.”
In the end, although he was underwater for 16 minutes, the Traverse City man managed to call Ruby. The dog takes the disc to its master. Bennett gave the man a direct line and told him to take the disc and start kicking him in the leg.
MSP officers begin to pull the man to shore while Ruby provides emotional support. Firefighters from the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department quickly responded and helped rescue Bennett.
After the incident, a police officer suggested to the Traverse City man that he should “feed the dog ribeye.”
according to MSP was contacted and the man was taken by ambulance to Munson Medical Center, where he was later released.
MSP District 7
said At X, “Great teamwork, well done!”
MSP District 6 said, “What a good kid!!! …Creative thinking saved a life!!!”
“Everyone is impressed,” Michigan State Police Lt. Derrick Carroll told People. [Bennetts’] It took their ability to take control of the situation and think outside the box to rescue the man in such a timely manner. ”
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