A one-year-old child nearly drowned on Friday when the vehicle he was in rolled into a water-filled ditch in Portage la Prairie.
Five people were in the vehicle at the time when it crashed on Saskatchewan Avenue East at around 11:30 p.m.
When officers arrived on scene, they could hear a child screaming from inside the vehicle. The infant — still strapped to his car seat — was partially submerged in freezing cold water. An officer was able to rescue the child by climbing through the broken front passenger side window and cutting him loose.
The infant was immediately taken to hospital.
Two female infants, aged one and two, were also in the vehicle at the time, as well as a 29-year-old female passenger
“Our officers acted quickly that evening and saved a young life,” said Inspector Rick Head, officer in charge of the Portage la Prairie Detachment.
A 29-year-old woman from Portage la Prairie has been charged with impaired driving, as well as driving while disqualified and failing to comply with probation.
“This incident also speaks to the dangers of impaired driving, this could have resulted in a tragic loss of life. We are thankful that only minor injuries were sustained and that everyone has since been released from hospital.”
Her name isn’t being released to protect the identities of the children involved.
