Illinois Paramedic Hailed As Hero After Rescuing 3-Month-Old Baby From Submerged SUV

An Illinois paramedic is being called a hero after he saved the life of a three-month-old baby in frigid water in a submerged SUV.

Todd Zobrist, who has been working as a paramedic with the Highland Fire Department for eight years, realized he didn’t have time to wait for fellow rescuers with wetsuits and a boat so he jumped into the lake, found the 3-month-old in the dark and performed CPR on the roof of the vehicle before swimming back to shore carrying the infant above him.

Zobrist was treated for hypothermia and released from the hospital. Highland EMS Chief Brian Wilson stated Zobrist was a hero. “He definitely saved the child’s life,” he said

Prior to the SUV submerging the family had a tragic turn of events. The baby’s father, Justin Campbell, was found dead in a burned house with a gunshot wound to the head and the body of his mother, Cristy Campbell, was pulled from the same lake where the baby was found hours after his rescue.

A gun was found in Christy’s SUV but it is unknown at this time if it is the same one used in the shooting.

The baby’s six brothers and sisters, aged 4 to 14 years old, managed to escape the burning house in nearby Glen Carbon, Illinois, and were not physically injured.

The mother Cristy, 32, and Justin Campbell, 37, divorced in 2013 after a reported tumultuous marriage that included allegations of domestic violence. Police had been called to the home about 50 times for a variety of reasons reports say.

Officials say the sequence of events that lead to their deaths began sometime before 4:50 a.m. Thursday when an SUV was spotted leaving the home where Cristy lived with her seven kids as well as her ex-husband, said Capt. Mike Dixon of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department.

Then, flames could be seen consuming the home shortly after the SUV left and then several children ran outside. Justin’s body was later found inside.

A witness reportedly saw an SUV drive down a hill and into Silver Lake, located about 16 miles away from the house, at 5:30 a.m. Cristy’s body was later found about 11:15 a.m.

More News:

• Freddy Krueger Actor On Why Freddy Vs Jason Vs Ash Didn’t Happen
• Watch A Boy Hilariously Get ‘Attacked’ By A Llama
• Bonner Bolton Explains ‘Unintentional’ NSFW Grab of Partner Sharna Burgess on ‘Dancing With the Stars’

[H/T People]