(BaxterBulletin) – Lonnie Crim, a Mountain Home native and U.S. Army veteran, was at Pigeon Creek Park along with his wife Pamela Crim to fly a drone he just purchased.
Little did Crim know his training for a seven-year career as a combat engineer with the Army would be put to the test in the blazing heat of Monday morning.
Crim, his wife Pamela and their large Labrador retriever “Tank” had just moved to a new spot at the park to fly Crim’s recently purchased drone.
“We were about to fly it further in the park, but there were swimmers there,” said Crim. “So we came here, just on the other side of the pond.”
Crim had the drone in the air with his wife and dog looking on when a woman who declined to give her name fell asleep behind the wheel of a Honda Pilot. She had been looking for a shady spot in the park so she and her 18-month-old daughter could take a nap.
The woman said she awoke when the SUV crashed into the pond after running off the north side of the causeway and bowling over a pair of large wooden posts. The SUV miraculously stayed upright as it plowed down the rocky slope into the shallow pond.
Pamela, Crim and Tank ran to the scene after watching the crash. As Pamela ran, she could hear the frantic mother calling for help.
Crim pulled out his wallet and phone, ripped off his glasses and raced down the steep slope to the water.
“I just knew she needed help,” said Crim. Hearing her scream like that really got me moving.”
