"There wasn't a whole lot of thinking. It was just, you know, jumping into action," says Vermont State Trooper Michelle Archer. Video shows Archer swimming through the 40-degree water in Vermont until she finds the young girl floating face-up.
It's a desperate race against time as a female state trooper runs through a field of snow in Vermont.
An 8-year-old girl is drowning in an icy pond, and without a moment's hesitation the trooper plunges straight into the freezing water and manages to rescue the child.
Now, this hero trooper is speaking to Inside Edition.
"There wasn't a whole lot of thinking. It was just, you know, jumping into action," says Vermont State Trooper Michelle Archer.
Video shows Archer swimming through the 40-degree water in Vermont until she finds the young girl, whose body was floating face-up under water.
She had been playing on the pond with her younger sister when the thin ice gave way.
Archer says that in the moment she was not even thinking about the freezing temperatures.
"It's kind of interesting. On scene, I didn't remember it being cold," says Archer. "You know as you watch the video, I'm sure people noticed my breathing changed."
She does admit however that when she watched the video of her heroic rescue she started to realize just how cold it was when she dove into that water.
"I imagine the adrenaline rush led me into the water," says Archer.
Archer says that even after rescuing the child from the water, she still was not sure if the young girl was going to make it.
"Right when I got to her and I pulled her back onto the shore, I honestly didn't think that it was looking good," says Archer.
Then suddenly, the girl made a noise.
"I was shocked, but also felt a sigh of relief," says Archer.
The young girl was then treated at a local hospital.
"I knew I had to get in there as quick as possible and get her out as quick as possible," says Archer.
The little girl's sister also fell into the pond and was rescued by an elderly homeowner who lived nearby. When they were not able to reach the 8-year-old they called 911.
