Incredible moment 17-year-old Iowa hero rescues an 83-year-old man and his dog from their jeep after it went off a road and fell through ice
- Joe Salmon, 17, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, was ice fishing on East Okoboji Lake when he saw a Jeep drive past and crash through the thin layer of ice
- Joe intervened and rescued the 83-year-old driver and his dog from the rapidly sinking vehicle
- He smashed a window with a knife and took the man and his dog to safety along with four other strangers
Incredible drone footage has captured the moment an 83-year-old man was rescued from the icy waters of an Iowa lake by a 17-year-old teenager after accidentally driving through the ice.
In the rescue, the man’s dog was first lifted out of the waters of East Okoboji Lake to safety before the teenager slipped inside through the Jeep’s rear window.
After disappearing for a few moments, Joe Salmon managed to smash the car’s window with a utility knife.
The man’s golden scribble first had to be escorted to safety from the back of the car before turning his attention to the older man who was struggling to escape.
Salmon was ice fishing and snowmobile racing on the lake with his mother when the jeep passed them as the ice broke underneath.
A Jeep, with an elderly driver at the wheel, drove through the ice under a bridge on East Okoboji Lake in Iowa
Joe Salmon, a 17-year-old from Spirit Lake, Iowa, was ice fishing on the lake when he saw a jeep drive by and crash through the thin layer of ice
Joe, from Spirit Lake, Iowa, sprinted into action while calling for help from others who had been standing nearby.
He took off his boots and snow gear and tried to wave the man out, but he was pinned.
Almost without thinking, Joe dove into the car to free the man himself.
“I didn’t really think about why or what,” he told the Washington Post. “I wanted to make sure he was okay – get him out. A full-fledged car going there, I knew it wasn’t going to end well.
“In my head I thought, I know we have to do this fast,” he said.
Joe, far left, went into action and rescued the 83-year-old driver along with four other strangers from the rapidly sinking vehicle
The man’s golden scrawl had to be rescued first as Joe managed to get into the vehicle
Joe smashed open a window with a knife and took the man and his dog to safety along with four other strangers
At the time of the accident, many people were out ice fishing
Joel managed to drag the man’s foot to where it was wedged between the seat and the center console, but then this time it got stuck between the seat and the roof again.
Joe was again able to get the man out of his car seat as he struggled to escape the vehicle, which was rapidly filling with water.
Then he dragged it out again, folding the seats, before finally getting out and onto the snow.
Several people then helped the man go to a nearby store to get him out of his freezing clothes.
He attributes his quick thinking and physical readiness to playing three sports and being familiar with the area.
Joe was assisted by several other strangers in the rescue in the lake’s frigid waters.
The old man was taken to a hospital and was “doing fine,” the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office said.
After his exploits, Joe returned to ice fishing along with his mother.
Several people then helped the man go to a nearby store to get him out of his freezing clothes
After his exploits, Joe turned back to ice fishing, one of his pastimes