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The 911 call came in around 2 p.m. after two children, ages 6 and 8, plunged into freezing water on a small pond about 200 yards from Hackmatack Street in Manchester, fire officials reported. The kids had been playing on the ice when it gave way, sending them into water six feet deep.
Hearing their screams, the mother raced to the scene and jumped into the frigid water to save them. One child had gone under, while the other was shoulder-deep, struggling to stay afloat, authorities said. Though she managed to reach them, her strength waned in the freezing conditions, and she couldn’t bring them back to shore.
Standing precariously on an underwater log, she held her children’s heads above the waterline, desperately hoping help would arrive before it was too late.
Manchester firefighters and police rushed to the scene. As first responders reassured her that help was coming, she yelled back that she couldn’t hold on any longer, CT Insider reported. With time running out, three responders risked their safety, running onto the ice to pull the family out of the water.
Paramedics rushed all three to a nearby hospital. Their core body temperatures were dangerously low, officials said. They likely wouldn’t have lasted more than a few more minutes, the report said. All three are expected to make a full recovery.
Their rescuers — one firefighter and two Manchester police officers — were also taken to a hospital for evaluation, but are expected to be OK, the report said.
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