Jupiter Police Department Officers Save a Woman from Drowning in Florida

JUPITER, FL – March 8, 2017 –It’s late afternoon in Jupiter when a police dispatcher sends out the call: A woman has lost control of her vehicle and she has accidentally gone into a canal off of Maplewood Drive between Egret Cove and Stonebriar and south of Indian Creek Parkway. The situation is grim, for the woman is unconscious and trapped in her vehicle, which is fast submerging with her in it. She has precious minutes left and, in a situation like this, the chance of survival is minimal at best. Can Jupiter’s finest get to her in time?

THE SCENE

Although this isn’t the first time something like this has happened in the eyes of Jupiter-based law enforcement, there isn’t a precedent that is utilized as a specific scenario during police academy training. Therefore, for the officers that participated in this rescue attempt, their resolution was reduced to quick-thinking tactics, and more importantly, communication was necessary. And so it went for Officer Jeff Bernstein, Officer James Albano, Officer Matt Owen, Officer Nickolas Brandt, and Officer Russell Counts – those were the officers that, as fate would have it, were chosen for the task of saving a life.

As soon as it was ascertained by the Jupiter Police Department that an unconscious woman was in the canal trapped in her vehicle, Sergeant Peter Tremblay, the supervisor on duty that day, made the important decision to authorize every officer near the scene to move toward it. Once the call went out, and the clock began ticking, the response time was immediate. Officer Bernstein and Officer Brandt arrived first on the scene. At this point, the vehicle was submerged almost up to the bottom of the windows and the officers could still see the unconscious female occupant above water through the driver’s car window, which was completely rolled up.

Peter Tremblay got the call out to the Jupiter officers

Sergeant Peter Tremblay (pictured here) was the supervisor on duty the day of the accident.

A TEAM EFFORT

With haste, Officer Bernstein and Officer Brandt took off their equipment, went into the murky canal water, and swam over to the vehicle on the driver’s side. Officer Brandt was able to obtain a crowbar from a bystander on the scene to facilitate breaking the window down, given the immediacy of the situation.

“Her face was dipping into the water, so we had no idea if she had taken in water or not, or if she was able to breathe; she really wasn’t responsive other than the occasional motion and grunt,” says Officer Brandt.

Officer Bernstein worked on the driver’s window while Officer Brandt positioned himself on the back door of the driver’s side.

“We were both trying to break out the windows on the driver’s side and Officer Brandt succeeded in breaking his first,” explains Officer Bernstein. “Once this was done, I reached inside and was successful at getting the female’s head out of the water so that she could keep breathing.”

This initial action proved fruitful in getting to the victim, but she wasn’t out of the woods yet.

At this point, Officer Bernstein and Officer Brandt were backed up in the water by Officer Owen and Officer Albano, who focused on the windows and doors of the passenger side. Because the car had landed in the water at an angle that left the passenger side of the vehicle higher above the water, Officer Owen was able to get the back passenger door open and Officer Albano managed to get the front passenger door opened. At this point, water started pouring into the car, and Officer Owen got sucked into the vehicle momentarily while Officer Albano was able to grab hold of the victim.

“Once we opened the door, the water just started shooting in,” says Officer Albano. “We needed to work together to get her out safely.”

With the water level being a factor, the officers moved quickly. Officer Albano pulled the victim out of the car through the passenger door, and once she was out of the car, all four officers assembled around the victim to carry her out of the canal, making sure her head was above water at all times.

Once away from the vehicle, Officer Counts joined the four officers in the water and assisted them in carrying the victim for 15 feet from the half-submerged vehicle back on land. With caution, the officers brought the victim to shore and to safety.

Jupiter Police Department Heroic Act

The vehicle was submerged almost up to the windows when the officers arrived on site.

A VICTIM RESCUED

One minute and 30 seconds: That was the length of the entire rescue operation. It might seem like it was a short, quick, and easy endeavor, but the only reason one might reach such a conclusion can be directly attributed to the professionalism of the Jupiter officers. Had the response time been greater or their communication been faulty, the outcome could have surely taken a turn for the worst.

“What I remember most about that day is the way we communicated with each other,” says Officer Bernstein. “We were all on the same page and knew exactly who needed to do what. When a situation such as this occurs, when a victim is unconscious and in the canal, the odds are never in their favor; this was definitely a success story.”

Officer Owen added that the team’s exertions to bring this woman to safety are rooted in core values that represent their sworn duty to the town of Jupiter, including honor, courage, integrity, and commitment.

“You have to uphold these values in order to put on a uniform and do a job that can sometimes be very thankless,” elaborates Officer Owen. “We are committed to the safety of the residents of Jupiter, and in this situation, it was the unhesitating courage of every officer that helped save her life.”

HEROES IN UNIFORM

Police officers are trained well to anticipate all types of situations but no amount of training can cover all the different types of situations that an officer may face on a daily basis. In the line of duty, acts of heroism are often seen, yet “hero” is a term that is not thrown around lightly due to the circumstances of what the job entails – but according to Jupiter Police Chief Frank Kitzerow, nothing else can define the actions of this team of police officers.

“They are real heroes, there’s no question about it,” says Chief Kitzerow. “It is amazing to me that in a matter of seconds, they shed their equipment, jumped in the water, and rescued this woman by working together as a team. You have to remember ,that water is dark and that the car is submerging fast. Anything can happen so you have to think and act fast. If these officers aren’t heroes, I don’t know who is.”

To read the full article on InJupiter Magazine, click HERE.

For more information, please visit www.jupiter.fl.us/jpd. http://www.jupiter.fl.us/jpd