LPD Officer Rescues Woman After Kayak Capsized at Holmes Lake

LINCOLN–(KFOR Nov. 6)–A Lincoln Police officer is being credited for saving a 39-year-old woman from the water at Holmes Lake Sunday evening, when her kayak capsized.

Police say Officer Pierce Krouse arrived after receiving the call, where the woman was 25 to 30 yards from the north shore of the lake holding on to the capsized kayak. Krouse took off his duty gear, jumped into the water, swam to rescue the woman and brought her to shore.

“She said she had just flipped her kayak way over on the south shore,” Officer Krouse told reporters on Monday afternoon.  “Wasn’t able to get back because of the wind or something pushing the current a little bit.”

Krouse made sure the woman got treated by paramedics first, before he was checked at the hospital for water inhalation, then changed into a new uniform before resuming his shift. The woman was treated and released at the scene.

Officer Krouse says he was worried for the woman, who had been out in the water clinging to her kayak for approximately a half-hour.

“The water was cold,” he said.  “Hypothermia, shock, exhaustion….I didn’t know if she had a life-jacket or not.”  Krouse feared the woman was giving up.  He adds the whole point of his job is to help people as much as possible.

“I don’t think I could have just stood on the shore and waited for the rescue team (LFR) to get here, knowing she had been in there for so long,” Krouse said.  “Who knows what was gonna happen next? So there wasn’t an option in my mind, as to whether or not to go out there.”

Someone in the area called for help, indicating that the woman had been yelling for about five minutes.  Throw in the response time, plus looking for her in the water, added on about another 25 minutes.

Officer Krouse said the woman had a sigh of relief once he was able to reach her in the water.