Iowa teen saves man and dog after vehicle falls into icy lake
A 17-year-old, three-sport athlete from Iowa has earned acclaim as a hero after jumping into an icy lake to save a man in his 80s and a dog who were trapped in a car that had fallen in the water over the weekend – a dramatic rescue caught on camera by a drone.
The teen, Joe Salmon, was ice fishing with his mother and watching snowmobile races on East Okoboji Lake when he saw a Jeep driven by 83-yearold Thomas Lee drop through the ice under a highway bridge at about 3pm on Saturday, the local sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
Lee had been heading to his sonin-law’s fishing shack when he and his six-year-old dog, Cooper – who was in the Jeep with him – ended up trapped in frigid lake water that was 3-4ft deep, the Des Moines Register newspaper reported on Monday.
After noticing the Jeep and that its driver was seemingly unable to get out, Salmon called for emergency help on his phone, walked to the car and stepped into the water, which went up to about his chest, the Register added. Salmon told the newspaper he stepped on the rear bumper and tried to open the back door, but he couldn’t, and all the Jeep’s windows were closed.
Other bystanders joined him at that point, including one who gave him a knife. With that knife, Salmon shattered the back glass and from there scooped out Cooper the dog.
Meanwhile, Lee – with water up to about his waist – couldn’t get out because his foot was stuck between the seat and center console, Salmon recalled. Salmon reportedly said he pulled the console up to free Lee, who got stuck once more before he was able to fully get out of the car.
The local sheriff’s office said four other men – Corey McConnell, 30; Kody Harrelson, 26; Cody Chester and Chris Parks, both 27 – helped pull Lee and Cooper to safety.
First responders took Lee to a local hospital to be evaluated, but neither he nor Cooper were injured. Salmon was treated for minor cuts from the glass. A store gave him some dry clothes, and he was medically cleared to keep fishing. Soon he caught two, the Register reported.
A drone photographer recorded video of the rescue helmed by Salmon and posted it on Facebook.
“I’m happy that [Lee] was OK and the dog was OK,” Salmon told the newspaper. “It was just crazy at the time. I’ve never done anything like that.”
For his part, Lee reportedly said: “I want to thank the people who helped.” He also expressed gratitude to the store, which took Cooper in and dried him off.
Salmon – who wrestles, plays football and runs track – lost his shoes in the water while rescuing Lee and Cooper, according to the Register’s report. His high school track team sent a tweet to Nike asking the sports apparel giant to replace Salmon’s shoes.
Nike hadn’t responded when the Register published its initial story on Salmon’s heroics. But ESPN reporter Marty Smith tweeted that he would send over a pair of Michael Jordan sneakers. And the nonprofit Track Guy Foundation also said that it would send “new shoes … Joe’s way”.