Grafton Hero Who Saved Girl From Sinking Car Honored

GRAFTON, MA — After being dubbed a hero around town and in headlines, Grafton's Chris Etre was honored on Tuesday for saving a girl trapped in a car sinking into a freezing lake. Etre was awarded a plaque by the police department and a citation by state Sen. Michael Moore and Rep. David Muradian.

Etre was driving on Wheeler Road the night of Dec. 13 when he saw a driver crash into Lake Ripple. Etre saw that the teenage driver, a boy, couldn't get the doors or windows open to free the girl inside.

Etre made a split-second decision to grab a wrench from his truck and swim into the freezing water. He smashed a window open with the wrench, pulled the girl out, and dragged her to shore. The boy and girl were unharmed while Etre suffered a few cuts on his hand from the shattered glass.

"Nothing a few Band-Aids can't fix," Etre told Patch.

Etre said that when he looked into the back seat to rescue the girl, he could only think of his own children.

Etre's plaque chronicles his heroics and reads that he acted "with total disregard for your own safety."

"Your valiant efforts prevented what could have been a tragic ending," the plaque says.