Bystanders rescue Indiana mother, young daughter from truck sinking into pond

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Indiana mother and her young daughter whose truck crashed into a pond are safe and recovering, thanks to the quick thinking of several bystanders Monday morning.

According to a report by FOX 59, one of those rescuers was Dave Armbruster, who had just dropped his eldest daughter off at school in Franklin, Indiana.

That's about 25 miles south of Indianapolis.

He said as he was driving near State Road 44 and West Jefferson Street in Franklin when he saw the truck slide off the road and into the pond. That's when he jumped out of his vehicle to help.

"When I came up there, the truck was already halfway into the water," he said.

The frantic mother and her young daughter were inside.

"The truck started filling up with water," Armbruster said. "It was happening pretty fast."

Armbruster and another bystander pulled the child out through the driver's side window. As the truck began to sink, they raced to pull the mother to safety.

"Her feet were kind of stuck because of the bad angle and gravity, I suppose," Armbruster said. "We were having trouble getting over the window."

Thankfully, the woman managed to wiggle her way out.

"When she got to land, she just hugged her daughter," Armbruster said. "She was crying."

More than half a dozen bystanders stopped to help. Franklin Fire Chief Joshua Snyder said the outcome could have easily been different without their help.

It was a case of, "the right time of day, with the right things that happened, and the right people there," she said.

Snyder recommended that all drivers keep a window breaker in their car in case they find themselves in a similar situation. He also cautioned against distracted driving.

He said the woman was eating breakfast in the truck when the accident took place.

"Everybody is distracted driving now," Snyder said. "We all need to put down our phones and concentrate on the road."

For now, Armbruster said he will continue to process the events of Monday morning and be thankful that he and the others were there to help.

"You see someone that needs help, that's what you do," he said.

The woman and her child refused medical treatment on the scene. An officer told FOX 59 they were in good condition and were recovering at home.