State trooper plunges into icy Vermont pond to save 8-year-old girl

CAMBRIDGE, Vt. — A Vermont police officer plunged into an icy pond and pulled out an 8-year-old girl who had fallen through the ice while playing with siblings. The child survived and made a full recovery after a short hospital stay.

The girl and her younger sister fell through the thin ice of the pond on private property in the city of Cambridge on Dec. 17, state police said in a news release Friday. The 80-year-old homeowner was able to pull the younger girl to shore, but was unable to reach the older girl, called 911, officials said.

Trooper Michelle Archer was in the area and arrived less than five minutes later, police said. She pulled a rope and a flotation device from her cruiser, ran to the pond and swam toward the girl, according to a body camera released by state police. She swam with the girl back to shore, and a second officer who arrived as she brought her out of the water carried the child to a waiting ambulance.

The girl was taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington for treatment of injuries initially thought to be life-threatening, police said. She has made a full recovery and returned home.

Vermont State Police leadership has commended Troopers Archer and Keith Cote and the homeowner “for their selfless, heroic conduct, and all three have been recommended to receive the agency’s Life Saving Award,” state police said.