NAPERVILLE, Ill. – A family’s new year got off on the wrong foot in Illinois after they lost control of their SUV and ended up in a frigid retention pond.
The event unfolded in Chicago’s western suburbs, and the entire rescue operation was caught on officers’ body-worn cameras.
Upon arrival, officers with the Naperville Police Department saw the SUV in several feet of water and, without hesitation, waded into the pond to rescue the family.
The officers sloshed through the water and smashed some of the partially submerged vehicle’s windows in order to rescue the two adults and child.
Once ashore, the family was examined by paramedics for injuries, but nothing was reported to be life-threatening.
THIN ICE: LAKES BEAR IMPACTS FROM WARM WINTER
The Naperville Police Department said it was proud of its officers’ selfless acts, and they will soon receive commendations.
The lake is well displaced from the roadway, meaning operator error likely played a role in the crash.
The Chicagoland area was in the midst of a warm spell at the start of the year, so ice was not an issue in the incident.
According to a nearby weather observation site, air temperatures were about 40 degrees, which likely helped prevent ice from forming on the retention pond.
Like much of the country, January is typically the coldest and snowiest month in the Chicagoland region.
According to the National Weather Service office, the coldest temperature ever recorded in the Windy City was an excruciating -27 degrees on Jan. 20, 1985.