When high school student Joe Salmon showed-up to Okoboji Lake for a relaxing afternoon of ice fishing, he probably didn’t expect that he’d be taking a swim in the frigid water.
But when he witnessed a car plunge into the icy lake, he didn’t hesitate to help rescue the 83-year-old driver and his dog who wound-up trapped in their Jeep, with water levels rapidly rising.
It was around 3pm when Joe Salmon was enjoying an afternoon of ice fishing on Okoboji Lake in eastern Iowa. He also happened to be watching a nearby snowmobile race on the ice when he suddenly saw a Jeep break through the ice and go plunging into the water under the Highway 71 bridge.
As soon as he saw what was happening, Joe immediately sprang into action.
“As I was running, I called 911 [and] ran over there. And for a second, we just… I was standing on the shoreline, and another guy came down, and we were like waving at him like trying to tell him, get out, get out of the Jeep. And he was kind of in shock, didn’t really know what to do. He just kind of sitting there,” explained Joe.
Once Joe heard someone say that there was something moving in the backseat, he knew he needed to act fast. Thomas was in shock, and it turned out that his six-year-old dog named Cooper was with him in his Jeep.
“I took one step and (the water) went to about my chest. I got on the bumper of the rear and tried opening the back door, but all the windows were locked, but one guy gave me a knife and I hit the back glass a couple of times,” recalled Joe.
Not only was the driver slow-moving because he was in shock, but his foot got caught between the center console and the seat. Joe helped free him from where he was stuck, and grabbed Cooper out of the backseat. Fortunately, four other men also stepped-in to help.
Afterward, Thomas was takento Lakes Regional Healthcare,but neither he nor his sweet pup were injured in the incident. Joe was examined by the ambulance crew and only sustained some cuts from the glass. After receiving some dry clothes, he was cleared to resume his afternoon of ice-fishing.
A drone that was flying nearby was able to capture the entire ordeal on video, and you can see some of that footage and an interview with the young hero below.
