Construction Workers Rescue 4-Year-Old Crash Victim
PLUMCREEK TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A group of workers from the Rural Valley Construction Company in Armstrong County rescued a 4-year-old girl from a Ford Explorer that had gone off a road in Plumcreek Township.
The workers were returning to their shop just after noon when they spotted the vehicle upside down in the creek, partially submerged in the icy water.
The driver of the SUV, 29-year old Christopher Bills, was out of the vehicle near the creek, jumping and waving his arms saying that his daughter, Carmen Bills, was still trapped inside.
One of the rescuers, Scott Harkleroad, said he broke out a window and there was no one in the car seat.
"I seen her hanging out the passenger side window and her foot was actually jammed between the door post and the seat and I jumped in and then I went down and I got her," he said.
Harkleroad got her up to the bank where he, another worker and an Elderton police officer gave her CPR before she started coughing and breathing on her own.
"We are trained in CPR and first aid and thank God we are because that's what saved this little girl's life today," Brandon Richardson, a rescuer said.
The child was flown to UPMC Children's Hospital where she is listed in critical condition.
State Police said speed was not a factor in the crash, but the vehicle slid on an icy patch, struck the guard rail and rolled over into the creek.
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