Milwaukee firefighters, dispatcher help rescue driver from car in icy retention pond

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Some may call it a Christmas miracle, but Milwaukee firefighters say it's just part of the job. 

Last Thursday, a 911 call sent them to a retention pond near American Family Field where they found a car filling fast with water.

"It almost sounded like she dropped the cellphone and all I heard was like water rushing around," said Rebekah McAleese, MFD dispatcher.

Two nights before Christmas Eve, Rebekah McAleese got a call this dispatcher, with 20 years on the job, won't soon forget.

"It was definitely one of the most memorable and scariest calls I've ever taken," said McAleese. 

DOT camera shows the moment this car veered off the highway across from the ballpark, landing in the middle of a retention pond.

"So, her car was able to hold on the outskirts," said Lt. Tony Scott, Milwaukee Fire Dive Rescue Team. "Once it reached the middle, that's when the vehicle fell through."

The driver was frantic over the phone, telling dispatch she feared she was going to die. She says she was cut off in traffic and that is how she wound up here.

Days later, tire tracks are still evident. So is the area, right in the middle, where her car began to sink.

"She just kept telling me she was gonne die. She truly thought she was gonna die and I had to just keep reassuring her, just stay with me, talk with me," said McAleese.

Dispatch told the driver to remain as still as possible so water would flow in at a slower pace. 

We obtained the incident report. Within minutes of the 911 call, icy water is already up to her chest, but the dive team pulls up. 

"I just remember it was a really cold night," said Nate Leff, Milwaukee firefighter. "Our crews on scene actually broke one of the windows, the driver window, and was able to pull her out."

"So just knowing that, hearing that on the site channels or on the radio channels that they've made the rescue and that she's still alive, it's a sense of satisfaction that I did what I needed to do. It's definitely something I've learned over my years of being a dispatcher, to be the calm voice in the chaos," said McAleese.

"To give a family back their loved one and she's up walking, talking to this day, that's a huge win for us," said Lt. Scott.

Milwaukee firefighters say they're looking to hire more emergency dispatchers. Anyone interested can contact the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission at 414-286-5000 or email [email protected].