Off-Duty Wyoming Deputy Rescues Juvenile Trapped Underwater

A Park County Sheriff's Deputy doesn't know the meaning of 'Off the clock."

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The un-named deputy made a harrowing rescue on Sunday, October 3rd when he rescued a passenger from a vehicle that was submerged in water.

That's according to a post released on the Park County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

According to the post, at approximately 11:06 A.M. on Sunday, Park County Sheriff's Office deputies and a Powell ambulance responded to the area of Road 11 and Lane 10 after reports of a motor vehicle crash.

First responders ;earned that an off-road vehicle had crashed into a canal and that possible two juveniles were still trapped underwater.

According to reports, the vehicle had been traveling east bound on the canal road "at a rate of speed too high to safely complete a right-hand turn." Because of this, the vehicle entered the canal and collided with the bottom of it before rolling a half rotation over its front end, which caused the the vehicle to rest on its top side. The entirety of the cab portion of the vehicle was submerged underwater.

When first unit responders arrived at the scene, they learned the juveniles had been excavated from the vehicle, due to the actions of an off-duty deputy.

"An off-duty Park County Sheriff’s Office Deputy had stopped when he saw a passerby signaling for help. He discovered the UTV in the water with the passenger still seat belted in and trapped with just their mouth and nose above water. The Deputy jumped into the canal, went under the UTV to release the seatbelt, and got the juvenile to shore. The Deputy was treated on scene by EMS for gasoline in his eyes from the leaking UTV. The juveniles were cold, but uninjured."

“This Deputy’s decision to react quickly and save the juvenile from possibly drowning showed outstanding courage and decisiveness.” Stated Undersheriff Andy Varian in a department wide email. “Although he was off duty, his decision to move into action exemplifies the standards of the Sheriff’s Office and the duty to protect citizens in Park County.”

The Park County Sheriff's Department noted that the deputy was a stark example of "bravery, honor and a desire to serve the community," and his actions are currently being reviewed for possible commendation.