Troopers revive woman after truck flips on I-35, lands in holding pond
FOREST LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) - State troopers and a passerby rescued and revived a woman after her truck flipped into a holding pond along Interstate 35 near Forest Lake, Minnesota Wednesday night.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, around 10 p.m., Allyson Andert, 22, of Centerville was heading southbound on I-35 when she lost control of her Ford F-250.
In a statement shared by the State Patrol, Andert said she saw the water on the road and tried to slow down, but ended up hydroplaning and losing control of her truck, hitting a barrier. The truck was then launched into the other lane of traffic and eventually went over the snow barrier. The truck flipped mid-air and landed on its roof in two feet of standing water under the Highway 8 overpass.
“I felt all of this happening,” Andert said. "I was panicking and reaching for the seatbelt, trying to unbuckle, but I could not. I felt the water getting higher and higher in the pickup truck. It eventually ended up covering my face as I was on my back. I remember trying free myself as I felt the water and snow covering my body and face.”
The two state troopers and the passerby who responded to the crash had to cut Andert’s seatbelt to get her out of the car.
One of the troopers began CPR on Andert was able to revive her. The trooper continued CPR as she was going in and out of consciousness and spitting out water, according to the State Patrol incident report.
"At that time you have to resort back to your training," said Trooper Cory Johnson. "CPR - it works. It's there for a reason. You have to utilize it properly. It was probably around 10 minutes between the time of the call and when we got her out."
Andert was taken to Regions Hospital, where she remains in stable condition.
“I truly felt that I was going to die,” Andert said. “But thanks to everyone involved, my mom did not have to get that call that she lost her oldest daughter and first child.”
Andert said she would eventually like to thank the people who saved her in person.