Champaign deputy gets free from crashed cruiser, jumps into water to help other driver

Nearby resident and injured deputy work together to free driver in pond.
Champaign County Sheriff’s Cruiser. Bill Lackey/Staff

Champaign County Sheriff’s Cruiser. Bill Lackey/Staff

A Champaign County Sheriff’s deputy who was injured when a driver struck his cruiser, freed himself and went into a pond with a resident to rescue the driver from his submerged vehicle Thursday.

At 9:44 a.m., Deputy Chris Culler notified the Champaign County 911 center he had been involved in an injury crash at the intersection of state Route 161 and South Parkview Road in Goshen Twp. northwest of Mechanicsburg.

Deputies and fire/EMS personnel rushed to the scene.

Investigators reported that a 2018 BMW driven by Jeffrey Davis, 55, of Grove City, failed to stop at the sign and pulled in front of Culler’s cruiser, causing the crash.

The BMW went off the road, traveled through a residential yard and entered a pond northeast of the intersection.

“Upon entering the pond, the vehicle immediately began to sink, with the driver still inside,” the sheriff’s release said.

Culler freed himself from his damaged and disabled patrol vehicle and dove into the water to rescue the driver, who was struggling to get out of the vehicle.

After several unsuccessful attempts to rescue the driver from the submerged car, the release said, Culler was joined by Paul D’Angelo, who lives in the area. The two men entered the water, and “after several more attempts, they were able to successfully extricate the driver from the submerged vehicle and assist him to shore.”

Mechanicsburg fire/EMS personnel treated Davis, who later was taken to Miami Valley Hospital by CareFlight for treatment of his injuries. No information was immediately available on his condition Friday.

Culler received treatment for minor injuries and exposure and was released from the emergency department at Mercy Health’s Urbana campus.

The crash remains under investigation.