By Nakayla McClelland
Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
BUCKHORN, N.M. — A New Mexico State Police officer saved a woman, her child and her dog from drowning after a rush of water flipped her vehicle and trapped the family on the roof.
On Sunday, officer Walker Eby was dispatched around 3:09 p.m. after receiving a call that a vehicle had been capsized amid a rush of water on Stephens Road, near Buckhorn, according to a news release from State Police spokesperson Amanda Richards.
Upon arriving, Eby saw the woman and her family sitting on top of the vehicle as water cascaded around them.
Eby, with assistance from the Grant County Sheriff’s Offi, the Cliff Volunteer Fire Department and local residents, used a backhoe to keep the vehicle stable while they attempted a water rescue.
Lapel footage from the Grant County Sheriff’s Office — shared by State Police on X — showed Eby scaling a ladder above a torrent of muddy water to reach the vehicle. Eby placed the child on his back before descending from the ladder to bring the child to safety.
Eby then gave a safety rope to the woman, who used the ladder to crawl down from the vehicle’s roof toward the ground. In the video, local residents and other officials can be seen holding the rope while the woman crawled across the ladder.
“We are incredibly proud of the bravery displayed by Officer Eby, our first-responder partners, and the local residents in this increasingly dangerous situation,” Richards said in a release. “Their actions allowed them to rescue the trapped occupants and bring them back to safety. This coordinated effort exemplifies the spirit of community and working together for the safety of one another.”
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