ALBION, Mich. — Two people are in the hospital — one in critical condition after their car crashed into the Kalamazoo River Thanksgiving afternoon. If not for the selfless actions of a fisherman and a police officer, this article may have been very different.
A fisher was casting a line near Riverside Cemetery in Albion when they saw a vehicle drive into the river just before 4:30 p.m.
After calling 911, the fisher swam out to where the car was sinking, finding the pair inside— the driver in and out of consciousness.
It was around this time when Albion Public Safety Officer, Zach Behnke arrived, also swimming out to the vehicle.
Officer Behnke got the driver out and pulled her to shore, then— with a rope anchored by a Sheridan Township Firefighter —swam back out to rescue the passenger.
Both victims were taken to the hospital— reports posted by the Albion Department of Public Safety show the driver was having a medical emergency when the crash happened.
"ADPS is incredibly proud of PSO Zach Behnke, and is thankful for his life-saving efforts along with the [fisher] who reported the crash."
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