Illinois deputy stops runaway car, saves pregnant woman from plunging into lake: "I cannot die today"
A sheriff's deputy in Williamson County, Illinois, is being praised for rescuing a pregnant woman whose car wouldn't stop as it sped toward a freezing lake.
The seven-minute ordeal began with a frantic 911 call early Wednesday morning.
"I need help. My brakes won't stop. My car won't stop. My brakes aren't working," the woman told dispatchers. She added, "I'm 20 weeks pregnant. I cannot die today."
The car, traveling about 30 miles per hour on a dark rural road, was headed for a dead-end near the lake. Deputies quickly responded, with dispatchers coordinating efforts to intercept the vehicle.
"Turn right at the next road, okay?" a dispatcher said. "If you don't turn, you're gonna go into a lake."
Deputy Tyler Coffey was the first to catch up to the runaway car. Using a rolling roadblock maneuver, Coffey positioned his patrol car in front of the vehicle to bring it to a stop.
"Her brake lights were illuminating, and she was not slowing down," Coffey said. "Once I got in front of her vehicle, slowed down... her bumpers met mine, and slowly we came to a stop."
In 911 recordings, the woman can be heard screaming, "I'm going to hit the cop. I'm going to hit him," unaware that deputies were trying to help her.
Despite the collision, the woman, her dog, and the deputies were unharmed. Both cars sustained only minor damage.
When asked about being called a hero, Deputy Coffey said, "I've been getting that a lot. I appreciate the comments, but we're all heroes—everybody from the dispatchers down to the deputies. Everybody worked together and made this a safe incident."