Man breaks window to save 3-year-old from sinking SUV in St. Peters pond

Austin Collins waded into a pond in St. Peters on Thursday morning to rescue a 3-year-old girl from a sinking SUV. He heard a splash and saw the vehicle roll from a parking lot down a hill into the water while he was dropping his children off at a school bus stop.

Collins called 911 and immediately jumped into the pond to reach the child. He described holding onto the vehicle to stay afloat because he did not know the depth of the water at the time. A bystander handed him a hammer, which he used to break a window to free the toddler, who was named Melody. Collins cut his hand on the broken glass during the process. He said he cleared as much glass as he could with his hand before grabbing the girl to prevent further injury.

Melody’s mother, Megan Kohlhaas, was near the scene helping her other children board a school bus when the accident occurred. She said she was waving goodbye to the children when they started screaming that a car was moving. Kohlhaas stated that the car rolled backwards down the hill. She credited the quick response of the people nearby for saving her daughter’s life.

Kohlhaas said she was thankful Melody was alive and continued to think about the man and the other people who helped. She described the speed at which someone found a hammer and passed it to Collins as a miracle. Without the help of the community, she said they would have lost their daughter.

Collins credited Kohlhaas for creating an early sense of urgency that allowed the group to pull together. He said the incident showed what a community can do when someone is in need. The 3-year-old girl is doing fine after the incident. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Kohlhaas replace her vehicle.

Investigators are still determining why the SUV was able to roll away from the parking lot. The incident took place on Thursday morning in St. Peters, Missouri.