A sheriff’s deputy in Utah is a hero after he risked his life to save an 8-year-old boy who had fallen through the ice on a pond on Christmas Day.
Sgt. Aaron Thompson said the little boy was in 37-degree water for about 30 minutes before he was able to pull the unidentified child out, The Associated Press reported.
The boy had been chasing his dog when he fell into the icy water in New Harmony, Utah.
Thompson, who had been a member of a search-and-rescue dive team, jumped into action when a woman said she had seen the boy's hand in the water about four minutes prior to Thompson arriving, the AP reported.
“As the ice got thicker, I couldn’t break it with my arms and fists anymore, so I had to jump on top of the ice, putting my weight on it, and then pound on it to get it to break,” Thompson said during a news conference Tuesday.
He eventually found the boy about 25 feet from shore, but not before Thompson himself was in neck-deep water, the AP reported.
Thompson was treated for hypothermia and released from the hospital Monday night. He had lost feeling in some of his fingers, but it had returned within a day.
He plans on returning to his beat next week.
The child was taken to the hospital but the Sheriff’s Department did not have any information on his condition.
About the Author
