State Traffic Officer

California Highway Patrol

4/15/1990

Special Act Award (Gold)

At approximately 8:45 p.m., Officer Reed responded to a reported accident in which a vehicle was driven into the Colorado River. Upon arriving at the scene, Officer Reed observed the driver of the submerged vehicle kneeling in the middle of the levee road screaming that his “babies were in the car.” Flashing his light over the river bank he observed the top of the submerged vehicle approximately eight feet from the river bank, and two people attempting to rescue the children trapped inside. By this time Deputy Brown, Riverside County Sherriff’s Office, arrived at the scene, and was preparing to enter the water. Officer Reed followed Deputy Brown into the water after notifying dispatch of the location and the number of people trapped in the vehicle. Rescue attempts were hampered by strong river currents and the motion of the unstable, submerged vehicle in the cold, dark murky waters. Despite these obstacles, Deputy Brown was able to open one of the doors of the submerged vehicle; however, he soon became fatigued due to his efforts underwater. At this point, Officer Reed relieved Deputy Brown during the second underwater attempt, and was able to grab hold of a child’s ankle and retrieve the body of a six-year old boy. Pulling the boy to the surface Officer Reed swam to shore and handed him over to a paramedic who began cardiopulmonary resuscitation while Officer Reed exited the water. Officer Reed then took the boy to the ambulance and continued with cardiopulmonary resuscitation as the paramedic inserted an airway. As soon as the oxygen flow began, Officer Reed returned to the river for the other child. By this time, two CDF firemen had been able to tie off the submerged vehicle with a rope and following a second rescue attempt one of the firemen was able to cut free a one-year old girl from the bindings of a child restraint seat.