Pennsylvania Police Officers Rescue Elderly Woman From Frigid Pond
What to Know
- Officers responded to a 911 call after the elderly woman activated her medical pendant.
- The woman had fallen into a backyard pond while cleaning a pump and was submerged and unable to exit on her own.
- Assisted by a nearby resident, officers pulled her from the pond and helped her into her residence.
LEHIGH TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania -- Officers with the Lehigh Township Police Department responded to a 911 medical pendant activation on Jan. 11 in the 3400 block of W. Walker Drive, where they located an elderly woman who had fallen into a backyard pond.
Officer Elias Batihk and Officer Anthony Stinemire arrived at approximately 2:36 p.m. and observed the woman waving her arms for help. As they approached, officers determined she was submerged in a pond and unable to exit on her own, according to a news release.
With assistance from a nearby resident, the officers pulled the woman from the pond and helped her back into her residence. She told officers she had been cleaning a pond pump when she accidentally fell into the water.
Northampton Regional Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and transported the woman to a hospital for treatment. During the medical evaluation, responders determined her body temperature had dropped to 88 degrees, consistent with hypothermia.
Police said the emergency medical pendant allowed dispatchers to quickly identify the situation and send officers, contributing to a timely rescue and medical intervention.