A Washington man is alive today after plunging into a partially frozen lake in the Cascade Mountains right in front of law enforcement officers who had just finished water rescue training.
The dramatic rescue unfolded Tuesday afternoon at Fish Lake as officers with the King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and the Mercer Island Police Department were wrapping up exercises, as reported by the New York Post.
“We saw a guy out of the corner of our eye walking back, and one of our guys said, ‘he just went through!’” Sgt. Rich Barton told KOMO.
The crew had just completed their drills but were still fully suited in water rescue gear. That timing proved critical. “My guys were falling in the ice trying to get to this guy,” Barton said.
Officers crawled across the splintering ice to distribute their weight and avoid breaking through themselves. The man was thrashing in sub-35-degree water beneath a gaping hole in the ice when rescuers secured him with flotation devices and pulled him to safety.
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He was shivering from head to toe and later told officers that two friends were nearby. Without the swift response, the situation could have escalated. “We could have had three potential victims who could have perished yesterday,” Barton said.
The man was taken to a nearby cabin, given dry clothes and later evacuated by medical personnel. After warming up, he was able to drive himself home.
Barton reflected on the timing of the rescue. “Right place, right time. I mean, if we had not been there, you would have been reporting on a different outcome,” he said.
Moments like this echo biblical accounts in which deliverance comes at the precise second it is needed. Scripture is filled with stories of divine intervention, from Peter being pulled from sinking waters to Paul surviving a shipwreck. While officers trained and acted with professionalism and courage, some would see more than coincidence in the convergence of preparation and peril.
God often works in ways that are unseen until hindsight reveals the pattern. What could have been a tragic headline instead became a story of survival, gratitude and what some might call providence.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
