Nebraska Officers Honored for Saving Baby from Wrecked Car in Freezing Water

A two-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 near North Platte was reported about 9:45 p.m. on Thanksgiving. When Trooper Alex Coffman arrived, he found two vehicles on their sides and partially submerged in the waters of Fremont Slough.

January 2, 2024

Honored Friday for their bravery were Nebraska State Trooper Alex Coffman, left, and Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Tyler Schultz, flanking Gov. Jim Pillen.Honored Friday for their bravery were Nebraska State Trooper Alex Coffman, left, and Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff Tyler Schultz, flanking Gov. Jim Pillen.Nebraska State Patrol

A Nebraska state trooper and a Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy who jumped into freezing water to rescue a trapped, 1-year-old girl were honored Friday for their bravery.

The actions of Trooper Alex Coffman and Lincoln County Deputy Tyler Schultz were labeled as representative of the “dedication and selflessness” of public servants by Gov. Jim Pillen.

During a press conference Friday, the governor and Col. John Bolduc, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol, presented the Patrol’s Life Saver Award to Coffman and the Public Service Award to Schultz for their actions on Thanksgiving night.

A two-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 near North Platte was reported about 9:45 p.m. on Thanksgiving. When Trooper Coffman arrived, he found two vehicles on their sides and partially submerged in the waters of Fremont Slough, the Nebraska Examiner reports.

Two vehicles crashed into Fremont Slough on Thanksgiving night.Two vehicles crashed into Fremont Slough on Thanksgiving night.Nebraska State Patrol

After aiding the other occupants of the vehicle, the officers learned that a baby girl was trapped inside one of the cars.

Wading into and submerging into the freezing water, Coffman was able to get inside the vehicle and cut away the seat belt that was holding the 1-year-old girl in her infant car seat.

Schultz was then able to pull the girl out of the vehicle through a broken window. The rescue was captured on the trooper’s body camera.

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