But that's exactly what Jacob Aldrich did when he and his family members Rachel Bowling, John Bowling, and Toby Bowling skated down Indianapolis' downtown canals on Christmas Day. The night, which began as a family ice-skating excursion, ended with Aldrich dragging a woman out of the water after driving a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu across the ice. When they first saw the car going down the canal around 11pm, the four initially thought the car driver had seen ice.
"My immediate guess was that they were guys who knew what they were doing...they were just kidding around," said John Bowling. "Everything goes wrong":Diaper Program Helps Indiana Families Amid Turbulent Economy
The four, originally from Indianapolis, have been skating on canals for years and decided to hit the ice late Sunday after finishing a family Christmas celebration. He knows the risks of skating and is always vigilant.
"I know some places that are prone to freezing and some that aren't," said John Bowling. A video of the event posted on TikTok by Rachel Bowling showed a car driving through a canal and a shocked group reacting in real time. The video has over 10 million views on her.
"Everyone in Indianapolis knows it's water. It's not where cars go," Rachel Bowling said in a follow-up TikTok that has more than 940,000 views.
The 33-year-old woman driving the car told firefighters that she was following her GPS. After she drove onto the ice, skaters kept an eye on her and almost never lost sight of the car, Aldrich said. According to the fire report, she first drove north through the canal and hit a dead end at 10th Avenue. She then turned around and drove south. When the car passed the group for the second time, they knew someone inside was in danger and ran down the canal after the car to warn the drivers. "We knew it was thawed there," said John Bowling. "It was immediately apparent that she was having trouble understanding what was going on," Aldrich said.
About two minutes later, the car began to sink near the bridge on New York Street. As the water envelops the car and slowly creeps up the side of the door, Aldrich decides action must be taken.
"She didn't want to go out," he said. Aldrich said the water was only about five feet deep, and it was cold even though he expected it to plunge like ice. Standing on the sloping edge of the canal on her ice skates, he struggled to keep her feet as her car slid away from him, but her window pulled her out of the She likely couldn't open her car door because of the water pressure, he said. Aldrich knew he had to get her and himself out of the freezing water as soon as possible. "Realistically, if you don't stay there long, it's not that dangerous," he said.
The driver was examined by a doctor and taken to Eskenazi, where her car was towed from the canal that night.
Aldrich never imagined he would need to rescue someone from a sinking car, but safety is a top priority when skating. Aldrich said he always carries a backpack full of dry clothes, just in case. "I think that's one of the reasons I got in," he said.
A woman is confronted by a car with a DUI on charges related to the incident.