Joan Tanner was arrested while intoxicated or disabled and speeding.
A brave New York police officer recently dragged an alleged drunk driver out of his sinking car after it crashed into a lake. According to Newsweek, 61-year-old Joan M. Tanner was speeding when she closed the road and went through the fence and into the water. As police and firefighters arrived at Le Ray Pond, his Ford Explorer was sinking fast.
A dramatic video of the rescue, shared by New York State Police on YouTube, shows a soldier jumping on the roof of a sinking car, breaking the sunroof and entering through glass.
Watch the rescue video below:
Newsweek Reported that Mrs. Tanner was so close to drowning that police saw her hair float up to the sunroof of the car.
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At first, the police, known as John Russell, used a steel pole to break the rear window of the car. However, Mrs. Tanner was bent over her shoulder and unable to move, so Mr. Russell tried to get her in the back carriage but failed. The police could not open the door as the car was not unlocked.
Then, as the car began to fill with more water in the front, another policeman – Christopher J. Hardy – jumped on top of the car to open the sunroof, and Mr. Russell fled from behind. He successfully smashed the sunroof with a steel pole and pulled out Mrs. Tanner, after which state police described the 61-year-old as “conscious and alert.”
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In a statement, state police said that after Mrs. Tanner was pulled ashore, she showed signs of hypothermia. He was rushed to Samaritan Medical Center for hypothermia and minor injuries.
Police say the driver was released on medical treatment. He was later arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or for speeding. The 61-year-old was issued an attendance ticket and is now due to appear in court on May 27.
