Dramatic video shows deputy rescuing 2 women after they drove into Cherry Creek Reservoir
Video shows the rescue of two women from Cherry Creek Reservoir Saturday night after the pair drove into the water in heavy fog. The women were in a Lexus that plunged into the water from the west boat ramp after attending a wedding party, drifting well off shore before sinking and filling with water.
"She made the wrong turn boat ramp and the water was covered in fog," said Arapahoe County Deputy Riley Nolan.
The rescue was complicated by the fact that the women could not swim and as the car went down were trapped inside.
The pair called 911 and a dispatcher attempted to guide them through the process of getting out of the car. At first he told them to try to roll down the windows, but they could not. As the car filled with water the women were getting desperate. The dispatcher told them to try to break out the window. He suggested the front part of the lower rear window. They attempted to kick it out, but it was not working.
"I just started taking off my belt," said Nolan of the 30 pounds of gear he needed to remove. "Taking my vest off. I can get this stuff off fairly quickly if I needed to. And then just went straight in the water."
Nolan has spent nearly seven years with the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. Before that, he spent about six years as a lifeguard in Aurora. He's rescued people from pools in the past, but this was different.
A fisherman had called 911 after seeing the car plunge into the water. He tried to help but could not reach it.
"It was foggy so I mean it was hard to tell you could just see the very top of that car. I could see somebody out next to it," said Nolan as he looked out through the fog seeing the car sinking.
The women had finally managed to kick the window out. The driver had managed to get out of the car. But the passenger was stick stuck inside. The women told the 911 operator they could not swim.
Nolan retrieved the woman from inside the car while another deputy helped the driver ashore. The water was deep in between the car and shore and he had to pull the woman in. He explained to her what he was doing along the way.
No one was injured in the incident, but ultimately the driver was issued a summons for DUI. The car was towed out of the water on Sunday.
