Viral Video Shows Daring Cop Jumping Into Flatrock River to Save a Woman

Columbus river has seen numerous drowning and near-drowning incidences in the past

A daring cop from Columbus Indiana Police rescued a woman who jumped off a bridge into the Flatrock river on Jan. 18.

Screenshot of a Twitter video shows Columbus In Police pulling a rescuer cop and a woman who jumped in from a bridge in the Flatrock River. (Columbus_Police/Twitter)

Columbus police reached the spot in response to the presence of a suspicious person on the Third Street bridge. A police officer tried to encourage her to safety but the woman jumped off the bridge into the river, according to Fox59.

Flatrock River's low head dams are drowning machines, according to a report in IndyStar. A woman was on Friday rescued by a cop after she jumped from a bridge into the river. (Wikimedia Commons)

The river flow swept her further over a low-head dam and underwater for a short time but the police respondents never lost sight of her.

A video shared on Columbus Indiana Police’s twitter shows a daring cop swimming to the woman and both of them being pulled to the shore.

“We would like to thank all the public safety agencies who responded to assist the person who jumped into the Flatrock River earlier today,” Columbus In Police tweeted. “Your actions saved a life.”

The daring cop is Columbus firefighter Daniel Pinnow from the Bartholomew Water Rescue Team, according to The Republic. Wearing a water rescue suit, he brought the woman to the shore at the Water Street ramp and she was immediately taken to the Columbus Regional Hospital in an ambulance.

The rescue operation took about seven minutes from the time the woman jumped into the river at 8:53 a.m. The condition of the woman is unknown.

In a post on their Facebook page, the police thanked everyone for their support.

“We would like to thank all of the public safety personnel who assisted with the water rescue of a woman who jumped from the 3rd Street Bridge into the White River in Columbus earlier today. Thanks to the quick actions of everyone on scene, a life was saved,” the police said.

The police also applauded its officers on duty. “A special thanks to CPD Officer John Velten for helping coordinate resources during the rescue as well as Columbus Firefighter Daniel Pinnow who rescued the woman from the cold, swift moving water.

“Also assisting at the scene was the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, and Columbus Regional Heath Paramedics,” the Facebook post said.

Many Tragedies at Flatrock

Numerous incidences of people jumping into the Flatrock River have been reported in the past. For many people in Flatrock, hearing sirens and seeing emergency responders rushing for rescue operations builds a sense of dread as per local media reports.

“A lot of teenagers, and some older crowd, go there, and some come down in the night time to do a little partying. But it’s a spot where too many lives have been lost,” Dave McGrath who lives near the river had told The Telegram after a 16-year-old boy had drowned there in July 2017.

In March 2017, a woman lost her life while trying to rescue her dog, according to IndyStar.

Witnesses saw Jackie Watts chase a lost and blind 10-year-old dog called Ringo near a dam on the Flatrock River. The dog went into the water and Jackie followed him. Neither returned.

In June 2018, a 6-year-old boy drowned in the river. His body was recovered two days later.

Brendon Sperry drowned in the Flatrock river in June 2018. (Brendon Sperry Funeral/GoFundMe.com)

Brendon Sperry was on a sand bar with his mother, brother, two sisters, and a cousin when he went into deep waters and didn’t return.