At a Glance
- A woman plunged into an icy Lehigh Township pond at 2:36 p.m. Sunday
- Officers responded to a 9-1-1 pendant alert on the 3400 block of West Walker Drive
- 88° body temperature recorded at hospital after neighbors helped with rescue
- Why it matters: Quick emergency response and community teamwork prevented hypothermia tragedy
A Sunday-afternoon pond-cleaning chore turned life-threatening when a woman slipped into frigid water along West Walker Drive, prompting a rapid rescue by Lehigh Township police and a nearby neighbor.
The 9-1-1 Pendant That Sparked Action
Dispatchers received the automated alarm at 2:36 p.m. Sunday, according to township police. The signal came from the 3400 block of West Walker Drive, a residential stretch dotted with small backyard ponds common to the area.
- Officers arrived within minutes
- They spotted the victim waving her arms above the water’s surface
- A neighbor heard the commotion and ran to assist
Together, the officers and the civilian formed a human chain to pull the woman onto the frozen bank.
From Frigid Water to Warm Ambulance
Once ashore, the woman told rescuers she had been cleaning a pond pump when she lost footing and tumbled in. Temperatures in the Lehigh Valley hovered near 30° all afternoon, accelerating hypothermia risk.
Police escorted her inside her home for dry clothes, then paramedics transported her to a nearby hospital. Emergency-room staff recorded her core temperature at 88°, well below the normal 98.6° and into the danger zone for cardiac arrhythmia.
Department Praises Team Effort
In a brief statement, Lehigh Township police credited both the swift response of patrol units and the willingness of residents to jump in-literally-to help a neighbor.
No names have been released, and authorities say the woman is expected to recover fully.
Key Takeaways
- Medical alert pendants can shave critical minutes off response times
- Hypothermia sets in fast when air temperatures dip below freezing
- Community cooperation turned a potential fatality into a rescue story
