ROBERTSVILLE, MO (KMOV/CNN) – After swerving to avoid a dog, a pregnant mother and her son escaped their submerged SUV when she swam 20 to 30 feet with a broken arm.
Mother Heather Vaden was driving with her 2-year-old around 7 a.m. Wednesday morning when a dog ran in front of her SUV.
"I just swerved, and I think I hit a ditch, which then bounced us up. I know we hit the fence, and then we went straight into the water," Vaden said.
The SUV had crashed into a man-made lake.
As it began sinking, the mother knew she had to act quickly.
Vaden thought pressure from the water would keep the doors from opening, so she looked for something to break the glass.
"I was looking for anything possible that I could break it with – nothing. So, I just kept kicking the window, and finally, it broke out," Vaden said.
Her son cried because the water was so cold, and Vaden had to swim 20 to 30 feet with a broken arm.
"So, I was swimming with this [arm] and holding him up with this one – my right arm – and I could hear him get a little bit of water every now and then," Vaden said.
Vaden ran down the road to find help, but in the meantime, her husband drove by, saw the car and jumped into the frigid water to rescue his family.
When Vaden saw him, she ran to tell him she, their 2-year-old and the couple’s second son – whom Vaden is still carrying – were OK.
"Thank God, we are all safe, and who cares about all the other stuff. We're safe. We got out. So, that's what I'm thankful for this year," Vaden said.
The Missouri Highway Patrol says if an animal darts in front of your car, hit the brakes if you can but don’t swerve.
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