Mother, Children Saved From Car In Northwest Side Pond: IFD

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — While winter is right around the corner, snow and sleet have already arrived making the Indianapolis area roadways extra slick and first responders extra busy, as IFD said according to their dispatch, there were 118 response runs, with 37 being responses for car accidents between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Monday. The Indianapolis Fire Department reported two water rescues that took place just hours apart. The first took place Monday evening and involved two cars that went into the retention pond at the corner of 86th Street and Township Line Road.

IFD said 13 units, including the IFD dive team were sent to the scene at 6:35 p.m. for a working water rescue, where a 2010 Black Dodge Nitro with five passengers, and a 2004 Black Toyota 4 Runner with one, ended up in the water.

IMPD and Pike Township crews also responded and helped with rescue efforts involving the 37-year-old female driver of the Dodge, her 11 and 17-year-old daughters and 4-year-old son, and the 50-year-old female driver of the Toyota.

IFD said the Dodge was headed Westbound to Applebee's to eat dinner, and the driver said her car hit ice on the bridge and immediately slid onto the grass, down the embankment and into the pond. According to IFD, the 11-year-old unbuckled herself and her brother out of his car seat and both climbed out of the rolled down back windows. The mom and teen unbuckled and climbed out the front windows.

An unidentified male bystander jumped into the pond, swam toward the family and the mother told him to bring the 4-year-old to safety onto shore, where he gave the boy to paramedics, IFD said. He then left the scene and was driving a champagne colored Saturn. The other three were rescued from the top of the car, and are uninjured, officials said.

The driver of the other car told IFD she was headed westbound to Costco when she hit ice on the bridge, skid off the road, down the embankment and into the pond, where she climbed out the front passenger side and swam to shore.

All five passengers were treated on scene by Pike Township and IEMS Medics, and released, IFD said.

On Tuesday morning, IFD and Pike Township crews responded just after 9 a.m. to another working water rescue at Fall Creek Parkway and Aqueduct Park at Bursdal Parkway, involving three adult men, ages 49, 43, and 28 who were conducting a bridge assessment, IFD said. IFD said 30 minutes into their work, their custom-built tractor rig got stuck and tipped over into the water when they tried moving it.

IFD said the men were in the water for about a minute before climbing out onto the bridge abutment on the end, and were rescued by IFD dive crews who brought them safely to shore within six minutes of deployment. They were checked out and released by IEMS Medics.

The vehicles involved in Monday's rescue and the Tuesday morning rig were retrieved from the water.

Images via IFD