Robert Hart Morgan saved Annaliese S. Vucich from drowning, and Connor William Quick attempted to locate a second victim, Loveland, Colorado, November 28, 2015.
At night, Vucich, 22, remained in the driver’s seat of her car after it entered Lake Loveland and began to submerge in water 7 feet deep at a point about 75 feet from the bank. Morgan and Quick, both 18-year-old college students of Loveland, were traveling nearby and witnessed the accident.
They descended to the edge of the water, where Morgan removed his outer attire. Despite an air temperature of about 19 degrees and the water near freezing, he entered the lake and waded and swam to the passenger side of the car. Unable to open the front door, Morgan broke out the door’s window with his elbow. Water rushed into the vehicle and began to fill the passenger compartment.
When Morgan then leaned through the window, Vucich grasped him by the neck. Backing, Morgan pulled her from the car, towed her to wadable water, and then carried her from the lake. Vucich called out another person’s name, leading Morgan and Quick to conclude that the car was still occupied.
As Morgan was too cold to return to the vehicle, Quick, also having removed some outer attire, waded and swam out to the car, which was then nearly fully submerged. He entered it feet first through the broken-out window and, holding to an interior handle, searched for any other victims. After surfacing for air, he repeated the attempt before returning to the bank. Responding firefighters also searched the car, but it turned out to be unoccupied.
Vucich, Morgan, and Quick required hospital treatment for cold water exposure, Morgan and Quick sustaining other minor injuries. They recovered.
87918-9916 / 87919-9917