He was in the right place at the right time – and it likely saved a man’s life last weekend in Ladner.
Last Saturday morning, a Delta police officer – a junior member in the department – was writing paperwork in his police cruiser at the corner of 28th Ave. at 53rd St. in Ladner just before 1 a.m.
DPD say out of the corner of his eye, the officer spotted a moving light from a farm field to the east in the 5600 block of 28th Ave. and thought it might be a flashlight in the blueberry fields, and decided to investigate, but instead of a person cutting through the fields, he came across a black pickup truck, overturned in the ditch.
DPD say the vehicle was in approximately three to four feet of water and the vehicle’s front cab was completely submerged. Without hesitation, the officer entered the frigid water to see if there was anyone inside the truck.
The officer heard a banging noise from inside the cab and immediately radioed for help. He then began to try and break the driver’s side window.
“He was able to partially extract the upper half of the driver’s body, while water was flooding in through the window,” said Acting Deputy Chief Harj Sidhu.
Once other officers and Delta firefighters arrived, the man was able to be fully pulled out, and was transferred to a waiting ambulance for observation. The driver did not appear to suffer significant injuries, but was taken to hospital for examination.
“It is wonderful to see, that when faced with a rapidly developing situation, our constable stepped up and made a quick decision to help, risking his own safety,” added Sidhu. “He went above and beyond, and likely saved the driver’s life. He was definitely in the right place at the right time.”
