FOX 35 Care Force recognizes 2 Florida officers for rescuing pregnant woman
Officers honored for rescuing pregnant woman from sinking car
The FOX 35 Care Force is recognizing the heroic work of two Palm Bay police officers.
PALM BAY, Fla. - The FOX 35 Care Force is recognizing the heroic work of two Palm Bay police officers after rescuing a pregnant woman from a sinking car in December.
The officers are Brian Press and Cameron Mitchell, who are both seen on body camera video helping the woman to safety.
Pregnant woman pulled from sinking car
Palm Bay police officers rescued a pregnant woman from a submerged car after responding to reports of downed powerlines.
How did the accident happen?
The backstory:
According to the Palm Bay Police Department, officers were responding to reports of downed powerlines when they heard banging coming from the canal and found a car upside down, submerged in the water, with a pregnant woman inside.
The woman was heard banging for help after her SUV flipped into a canal back in December.
Life-saving rescue
What we know:
To get the woman out, Press used his window punch.
Mitchell then grabbed a baseball bat from his partner’s car and ran straight for the water.
Acting as a team, the officers were able to smash the back windshield and use the bat to clear away the sharp edges of the glass and carry the woman to dry ground.
Why you should care:
"As I walked toward that canal, I started to hear a banging sound," Press said. "At that point, my mind just went into life-saving mode."
"I went ahead and got inside carry the baseball bat over there and handed it off to Corporal press," Mitchell said.
Officers recount saving pregnant woman from waterway
FOX 35 speaks exclusively with the Palm Bay police officers that helped save the life of a pregnant woman trapped in an SUV.
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The Source: This story was written based on information from previous reporting as well as from the Palm Bay Police Department.