Airmen’s heroic actions save woman’s life

  • Published
  • By Airman First Class Robert Dennard
  • 94th Airlift Wing
DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. --  The weather was wet and miserable; too cold for a normal May weekend. Tech. Sgts. Rick Ford and Marilyn DeMetrick, Staff Sgt. Christopher Howe and Senior Airman Edward Shannonhouse of 94th Civil Engineer Squadron were headed back to Dobbins after lunch. They were driving down Fairground Street near South Cobb Drive. 

It was then that Sergeant DeMetrick saw a vehicle in the oncoming lane veer to the right. “I don’t know if the driver hydroplaned or what, but she just went right off the road,” Sergeant DeMetrick said. But, the vehicle didn’t just leave the road. The Honda Civic traveled off a 25-foot embankment and landed nose first at the bottom. The embankment was so deep and so steep that you couldn’t see the accident from the roadway. 

It was then that the Airmen went into action. While Sergeant Ford stopped the car and called 911, Sergeants DeMetrick and Howe and Airman Shannonhouse piled out and ran to the scene. The accident was worse than expected. Not only had the vehicle fallen 25-feet and landed front end first, it had then toppled forward and was upside down in 3 feet of running water. “I remember it had just been raining and that water was really moving,” Sergeant Howe said. Sergeant Howe and Airman Shannonhouse went down the steep embankment to try to get the driver (who was now underwater) out of the car while Sergeants DeMetrick and Ford spoke to the 911 operator. 

“The top of the car had lodged itself in the mud so that we couldn’t open the doors,” Airman Shannonhouse said, “it was smoking and the airbags had deployed so we couldn’t see inside.” The two tried to rock the car to get the doors to open, but to no avail. With the vehicle under water, every second counted. They were finally able to open the driver door slightly and Airman Shannonhouse reached his hand in and found the driver’s hand. She was moving and conscious. Airman Shannonhouse then climbed on top of the car and with one swift kick shattered the rear driver side window. Sergeant Howe and Airman Shannonhouse then reached in and pulled the driver, a female in her 20s, out of the car and into the water. 

Staff Sgt. Rodney Cox and Senior Airman Torre Poole, both also of the 94th CES, had been heading back to base as well and stopped when they saw Sergeant DeMetrick standing in the roadway. “When she told us what happened, we didn’t think, we just acted,” Airman Poole said. When he reached the scene the driver was already out of the car and he went down to assist. Airman Poole picked up the victim and “fireman carried” her back up the hill. The hill was too steep to climb so when he got half way, Sergeant Cox grabbed the victim and pulled her the rest of the way up. 

Cobb Police and Fire Departments arrived a few minutes after the rescue. The victim was treated and had no serious injury. Amazingly, she escaped with only minor cuts. The Airmen then headed back to base and finished out the day. A Cobb Police officer said that “without the heroic efforts of these individuals, the driver of that car may have lost her life.”