LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — A Lincoln police officer saved a woman from drowning after she crashed into a pond Thursday. This is the second time Sergeant Tu Tran has saved a driver from a pond.
Here's what we learned from the Lincoln Police Department:
A 27-year-old woman was driving her 2011 Hyundai Elantra eastbound on Yankee Hill Road, attempting to turn southbound on Executive Woods Drive. The woman was traveling at a high rate of speed for the icy conditions and was not able to negotiate the turn.
The temperature at the time of the incident was 23 degrees with a windchill of 4 degrees and periodic freezing precipitation.
After leaving the roadway, the Elantra struck an LES transformer on the southeast corner of the intersection and continued into a golf course water hazard, said LPD. A passerby called emergency services, indicating a car had driven into the pond and was sinking.
Sergeant Tu Tran with the Lincoln Police Department was in the area of 27th & Pine Lake Road and responded to the scene.
According to LPD, when Sgt. Tran arrived he noted the vehicle was nearly submerged, only the rear driver’s window and trunk were visible above the surface. Tran removed his police equipment and continued into the pond to assist the occupant.
After swimming to the vehicle, he observed it sank further, now only the trunk was visible. Sgt. 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 pulled the female out of the car before it sank completely beneath the surface, said LPD. He assisted the female to the bank where others had gathered and helped her out of the water. Bystanders then further assisted Sgt. Tran out of the water.
Lincoln Fire Rescue and additional police personnel responded to the scene. The driver was transported to an area hospital after being submerged in the frigid water.
Sgt. Tran went home for a new uniform and returned to work.
If elements of this incident sound familiar; Sgt. Tran was the LPD officer who entered the water on September 3, 2022, to assist a driver who suffered a medical episode and drove into a pond near 75th & Badger Road.
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