A Lincoln Police officer is being credited for jumping into a pond and rescuing a woman from her sinking vehicle Wednesday afternoon. Police Chief Teresa Ewins says the 27-year old woman was driving too fast for the weather conditions on Yankee Hill Road and failed to make a turn at Executive Woods Drive.
There was freezing precipitation at the time and the wind chill was 4 above. The woman’s car went off the road and struck an LES transformer before plunging into the water hazard at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course. A passerby called 911 to report the car was sinking.
Ewins says Sergeant Tu Tran was in the area of 27th and Pine Lake Road and responded to the scene. “When Sergeant Tran arrived he saw the vehicle nearly submerged with only the rear driver’s window and trunk visible above the surface.”
She says he removed his equipment and jumped into the frigid water. “After swimming to the vehicle Sergeant Tran observed it sank further, now only the trunk was visible. Sergeant Tran was able to open an unlocked rear door. He was not able to see into the murky water but was able to feel a leg as he reached inside the vehicle.”
Tran was able to pull the woman out of the car before it completely sank beneath the surface and assisted her to shore. Ewins says bystanders helped the woman and Sergeant Tran out of the water. The driver was taken to a Lincoln hospital after being submerged in the icy water. Ewins says Tran went home for a new uniform and returned to work.
This was the second time in six months Tran has rescued someone from water. Last September he rescued a driver who went into water after suffering a medical issue near 75th and Badger Road .
(Photo: Lincoln Police Department )