Watch the report HERE››
(NBC 2) – Officer Cassie McHale said bringing her baby girl into the world was the best thing she’s ever done.
What she did on a stretch of I-75 may be a close second.
“I was driving to work in the morning, and a couple seconds before I arrived, there was a big cloud of smoke on the interstate. A big vehicle had crashed into the retention pond in the middle of the interstate,” she recalled.
The driver was trapped underwater. McHale wasn’t even on duty yet, but she didn’t hesitate to jump in.
“When you’re a cop, you’re a cop twenty-four-seven. When you see something, you have to take action. You can’t ignore it.”
Even when you’re eight months pregnant.
“I know it might seem a little crazy and dangerous, but I thought of his life and the life I had inside me. I was careful, but I couldn’t not help.”
McHale has proven herself in just three years at Fort Myers PD.
She’s currently assigned to the Violent Crimes Task Force.
She said she sees people at their worst.
Someday, she’ll be able to tell her baby girl about that moment when she was at her best.
“I’m sure one day when she’s like, ‘why do I like adrenaline so much? Well, there’s a funny story about that.’ And hopefully, she’ll want to do something in the line of duty, whether it’s a cop a nurse, anything to help people.”
McHale will be honored with the four other law enforcement officers Saturday night at Germain Arena. The event is sold out.
Tuesday on NBC2 News at 5, we’ll tell you about a Lee County sheriff’s deputy who helps fix up cars for single moms who can’t afford a mechanic – and that’s just some of the extraordinary volunteer work he does.
