“I need help,” the pregnant woman said during the 911 call
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A local sheriff’s deputy pulled off the harrowing rescue of a pregnant woman, who came close to crashing into a lake in Williamson County, Illinois.
On Monday, Dec. 2, at 2 a.m. local time, 911 dispatchers received a call from a distraught woman who informed them that the brakes on her car were not working, according to the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
“I need help. My brakes won’t stop. My car won’t stop. My brakes aren’t working,” the frantic woman was heard telling the dispatcher, according to Good Morning America. “I’m 20 weeks pregnant. I cannot die today.”
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The dispatcher then attempted to guide the woman, whose car was traveling at about 30 miles per hour, telling her to turn onto the next road or she would plunge her car into the oncoming lake. “I can’t. I’m scared,” the woman replied, according to the outlet.
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Representatives from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Deputy Tyler Coffey came to intercept the crash, and video footage showed him hitting the breaks in front of her car, allowing the vehicle to come to a stop.
“Her brake lights were illuminating, and she was not slowing down,” Coffey said, according to CBS News. “Once I got in front of her vehicle, slowed down… her bumpers met mine, and slowly we came to a stop.”
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The technique that Coffey used is known as the rolling roadblock maneuver, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said in its statement.
“Had the Deputy not been on scene or delayed performing this maneuver the driver and vehicle would have likely gone into the water upon reaching the lake,” added Sheriff Jeff Diederich.
Addressing those who have referred to him as a hero for saving not one, but two lives, Coffey was modest in his response, according to CBS News.
“I’ve been getting that a lot. I appreciate the comments, but we’re all heroes — everybody from the dispatchers down to the deputies. Everybody worked together and made this a safe incident,” he said.
The woman and her dog, who was also inside the vehicle at the time of the incident, were both unharmed, CBS News reported.
