A Vermont state trooper is recalling the heroic rescue of an 8-year-old girl who fell into a frozen pond.
Michelle Archer told America's Newsroom on Tuesday that she was on routine patrol on Dec. 17 when she received a report of a girl drowning in the freezing water.
Archer arrived in four minutes and jumped into the pond to pull the unresponsive girl to safety.
“It was definitely over my head,” Archer said of the water. “Right before we went inside, we were told the center was 8 feet.”
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vermont state police Body camera footage of Archer and fellow trooper Keith Cote's daring rescue has been released.
An 8-year-old girl and her brother were playing near or on the frozen surface of a private pond near where they lived when the ice melted.
Before Archer arrived at the scene, an elderly neighbor who could not swim managed to pull one of the brothers out of the water.
Archer used a flotation device in the back of his cruiser to bring the child to the snowy shore. When the child came ashore, she started making noises and she informed the police that she was still alive.
Cote took the child from Archer and performed life-saving measures before rescuers loaded her into an ambulance and took her to a nearby hospital.
“I didn't think much of it. Something was taking over — training. It was the opposite of panic,” Archer told Vermont News First.
Vermont State Trooper Keith Cote administers first aid and transports the 8-year-old girl from Archer to an ambulance for life-saving treatment. (Vermont State Police)
Archer and the girl miraculously suffered no adverse health effects from the frozen water.
“We were told later that day or the next day that she had been discharged from the hospital and had made a full recovery and had no issues or lasting effects of hypothermia,” Archer said Tuesday.
When asked what she would say to young girls who want to pursue law enforcement as a career, she said, “If that's what they want to do, I say just jump in. When I first started this job, I had a great mentor. 'Couples are women. If that's what they want to do, I say just jump in.' If that's what you want to do, I certainly think you can and should do it.”
Mr. Archer, Mr. Cote, and the property owners who assisted in the rescue were commended for their actions by the Vermont State Police.
All three received the State Police Lifesaving Award for their actions.
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Fox News' Timothy HJ Nerozzi contributed to this report.
