Former Cop Shoots Out Windows Of Car To Save Drowning Kids
People often criticize the media for what they perceive to be an obsession with bad news; That sort of “if it bleeds it leads” credo that keeps many viewers away from their 6’oclock’s because “it’s just going to make me angry.” We’ve all heard it. So here’s a piece of good and uplifting news for you:
This past Saturday while we were all getting fabulous for our New Years Eve shenanigans, former police officer Chris Willden came upon an accident along the U.S. 89 in Logan Canyon, Utah where a Honda Accord had slid off the road and plummeted into an icy river turned upside-down – with three kids inside.
Heroes don’t hesitate, and Willden didn’t miss a beat when he realized that there were kids trapped inside the car. He pulled his gun, leaped into the water, pressed up against the windows, and shot them out. He reached inside and cut one child free from a seat-belt with a pocket knife. He was aided by his own father.
Rescue workers then arrived, and along with several Good Samaritans that happened upon the scene, turned over the car to free the other two children. Though they were at the time lifeless, river-side resuscitation was successful, and Willden heard the clapping as he bandaged his own bleeding arms nearby.
So how does a man get into the proper frame of mind for such a heroic feat? According to Willden, he told himself, “You’re going to see some dead kids, get ready”. Prepared though he was, he was thankfully wrong as all four occupants of the vehicle survived the ordeal.
The driver was Roger Andersen, 46, of Logan, and two of the trapped children were his own: Mia, 9, and Baylor, 4. The other child, 9-year-old Kenya Wildman, is a family friend. They were all on their way to Beaver Mountain for a day of skiing when Andersen lost control of the car on the slippery highway.
Both Mia and Baylor were flown to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, spending the night in intensive care. They were taken out of IC Sunday, and were listed as being in fair condition, merely recovering from hypothermia. Roger Andersen and Kenya Wildman were uninjured.
Oh, and our hero’s last words before riding into the sunset?
“It’s in our family to go out and help others.”
What a guy.
What do you think of Willden’s heroic tale?
