Latest news with #DerekHelveston
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Yahoo
Watch: 2 Colorado women saved after vehicle crashes, flips over into freezing water
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Two women were rescued after their SUV careened off the road and crashed, upside down, into a creek in a Denver suburb. The accident occurred on Feb. 22 at 1 a.m. local time in the town of Centennial, where temperatures dropped down to 22 degrees, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. Police were notified about the accident when a man called it in and then flagged down the officers once they arrived on the scene. He told them that he witnessed a black SUV speed past him and fly off the road and into a creek bed filled with snow, rocks and brush, the sheriff's office said. The deputies were then able to locate the vehicle and help pull one woman out. The second woman was only able to be removed by using the Jaws of Life on the SUV. Police noted that the man who witnessed the accident and flagged down the police is being hailed as a Good Samaritan, responsible for saving the lives of the two women. "That witness was in the right place at the right time. It was late at night, there was barely anyone on the road, and the chances of these two women surviving were slim, especially being upside down submerged in frigid waters with no way to escape," said Deputy Derek Helveston. How To Watch Fox Weather Patrol Lt. Mike Reed noted that, if it weren't for the witness, officers would not have been able to locate the vehicle amid the debris and darkness of night. He added that he did not believe anyone could have survived the crash, given the amount of damage to the vehicle and how it had landed upside down in the creek, putting the women in a precarious position. "The women were submerged in freezing water for 15 to 20 minutes with just inches of breathing room," Reed said. "Had we not found them at that moment, they would have succumbed to hypothermia within minutes, and this would have been a completely different outcome." Both women were transported to the hospital for treatment for minor injuries. The sheriff's office said the women, aged 22 and 24, were highly intoxicated, and the driver has been charged with driving under the article source: Watch: 2 Colorado women saved after vehicle crashes, flips over into freezing water
CBS News
28-02-2025
- CBS News
Deputies in Colorado rescue 2 women after crash leaves SUV submerged upside down in creek
Arapahoe County Sheriff's deputies helped rescue two women from a submerged SUV in a creek after a crash left the vehicle upside down. The crash happened early Saturday morning. Witnesses reported seeing an SUV speeding by that crashed into a snowy ditch. Deputies used the vehicle's tracks to find the SUV submerged upside down in the water. Deputies rushed to rescue the women inside. Despite the heroic rescue, deputies also acknowledge the witness who sprang into action. "If he hadn't stopped and notified us where the crash was, we would never have found that car. There was very limited signs of an accident from the roadway and it wasn't until we got out on foot and walking the area," said Arapahoe County Deputy Sheriff Derek Helveston. Both women in the vehicle suffered minor injuries. The driver is facing DUI charges.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Deputies, Good Samaritan credited for saving 2 from sinking car after crash in ravine
ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo (KDVR) — A Good Samaritan and two quick-moving deputies are being credited for saving the lives of two women who crashed upside down into a snowy ravine. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office released body camera video from Feb. 22 around 1 a.m., showing the car submerged in ice water. Deputies say a driver was speeding north on South Lima Street between East Easter Avenue and East Arapahoe Road in Centennial when it went off the roadway while turning through a curve, ending up upside-down in a hidden ravine. The department received an emergency notification from an iPhone and also a 911 call from a witness. 'We began checking the area for any signs of an accident and didn't see anything, didn't hear anything. Eventually, once the witness who actually called in, we were able to have him direct us to where he saw the vehicle leave the roadway,' said Deputy Derek Helveston. Body camera video shows deputies cracking the ice to get into the water and prying open the door to get one woman out. South Metro Fire Rescue crews used the Jaws of Life to get the second woman out. Deputies reported only a few inches of air between the tops of the women's heads and the water that was seeping into the car. 'After seeing the car… I had zero expectations of seeing anyone in there alive,' said Lt. Michael Reed. 'In my 25 years, that's the first time I've had to go swimming like that on duty.' The two women, ages 22 and 24, survived with minor injuries. ACSO says both were allegedly highly intoxicated and the driver of the car is facing DUI charges. 'These girls, they were probably minutes away from being dead. With how cold it was in that water, it's amazing they survived the initial crash anyway with how far they traveled off the road. To end up upside down submerged in that car, they literally only had inches of air; they're extremely lucky. Don't drink and drive,' said Reed. The full rescue video can be found on ACSO's social media pages. 'If you see something, say something because it could potentially save someone's life. Again, if it wasn't for the witness, it could have been a totally different scenario the next day,' said Helveston. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
