Bend girl, 5, rescued from icy NW Crossing pond

A 5-year-old Bend girl sledding on a snowy hill at NorthWest Crossing’s Discovery Park Sunday afternoon couldn’t stop and slid onto the icy pond – to where it had melted — then went underwater, prompting a quick rescue by her caretaker and two other Bend residents who rushed to help them, police said.

Police and fire medics responded shortly after 3 p.m. to a water rescue at the park, where a witness reported seeing two people in the pond struggling to get out, one a young child, said police Lt. Nick Parker.

As rescuers responded, dispatchers indicated both people had been rescued from the icy water, Parker said.

Police determined the little girl had been sledding on a snow-covered hill west of one of the ponds at the park. She was not able to slow down before reaching the pond, sliding across the ice atop the pond until she reached the middle, where the ice had melted – then “became fully submerged in the water,” Parker said in a news release.

The girl’s 18-year-old caretaker, also a Bend resident, was nearby and went into the water to rescue the girl, but she soon began to struggle in the water and yelled for help.

Two nearby citizens, identified as Diane Allen, 52, and Eric Klump, 46, both of Bend, heard the cry for help and quickly responded, Parker said. They were able to rescue the child and caretaker before police and fire united arrived.

The little girl and her caretaker were “extremely cold” when police and fire crews arrived, but otherwise unhurt, Parker said. The two citizens who helped also did not require medical attention.

Parker said Bend police “would like to commend Eric Klump and Diane Allen for their heroic, selfless actions.”

“If it had not been for their quick response, the victims would likely have sustained serious medical conditions,” he added.

The lieutenant added, “The Bend Police Department would also like to remind the community how dangerous ice-covered ponds and other water reservoirs can be during freezing temperatures. It is often difficult to estimate the thickness and strength of ice covering water.”