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North Dakota Airman Saves Woman from Freezing Water

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. David H. Lipp
  • 119th Wing
CHURCHS FERRY, N.D. --  When Master Sgt. Grant Lonski, a North Dakota National Guard Airman with the Fargo-based 119th Security Forces Squadron, woke up on the morning of Nov. 12, 2014, it's unlikely he knew how his day would play out.

That afternoon, while performing his full-time duties as a North Dakota highway patrolman, Lonski waded into a freezing roadside slough to find and assist an 81-year-old woman seated in neck-deep water in the front seat of her car. His heroic actions likely saved the woman's life.

Merti Kurtti, of rural Rocklake, N.D., was driving her 2010 Toyota Yaris about 50 miles per hour on Highway 281, a few miles north of Churchs Ferry, N.D., during the area's first snow accumulation of the year. She lost control of her vehicle and plunged into about three feet of water at the bottom of a steep six-to-seven-foot ditch bank.

"The heroic actions of our Guardsmen, including the recent efforts of Master Sgt. Lonski, are indicative of their selfless nature and proof of their competency and courage," said Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general. "Time and time again -- in their military uniforms and civilian attire -- North Dakota's citizen-Airmen and citizen-Soldiers have responded in the face of uncertainty and adversity. We're grateful that Master Sgt. Lonski and others have been on hand to assist those in need, and we're proud to know their training helped ensure they were ready and able to provide critical life-saving skills."

"She is very lucky to be alive, because those roads were very slippery and her car could have rolled, and that water is extremely cold," said Churchs Ferry Mayor Paul Christenson, who looked over the scene after the rescue. "I helped another person out of a ditch south of town a short time later that day."

"I was driving to meet some friends at a church member meeting when I spun around twice and went right into the ditch," Kurtti said.

Thankfully, she had a cell phone in her car with her so she could call 911. Also, her car sat low in the water below the steep edge of the ditch, making it difficult for passing cars on the road to see her. At her age, Kurtti was not able to remove herself from the car since the water was holding her door shut, and she also was unable to crawl out the window.

"I was worried I had called 911 too many times because [the phone] stopped working at one point, and the water was coming in all around me. I had to hold it up out of the water," Kurtti said.

Lonski, who is a sergeant in the Lakota office of the North Dakota Highway Patrol, got the call from 911 dispatch and responded urgently with his patrol car lights and siren activated.

"About 10 miles away, we lost phone contact with the driver and I was worried she might be under water," Lonski said.

He found the entry point of the vehicle by locating the car tracks in the snow and waded into the water at the rear of the vehicle. He broke out the rear window to see into the car, as the car was only visible from about halfway up the windows all the way around.

"I walked into the water up to my pants belt on the driver's side, and all I could see was her head sticking up above the water and her hands holding the cell phone up. I was able to open the door and unbuckle her seatbelt," Lonski said."I told her to wrap her hands around my neck and I would carry her out."

By this time, a fire fighter from nearby Leeds, N.D., and an ambulance had arrived so Lonski could pass Kurtti off to them for transport and treatment for hypothermia at Mercy Hospital in Devils Lake, about 20 miles away.

Rescue workers estimate that Kurtti was in the ditch for 20-30 minutes.
Now, safe at home on her farmstead outside of Rocklake, Kurtti says she's incredibly grateful for Lonski's actions that day.

"I want to thank the patrolman and all of the rescue workers for saving me," Kurtti said.

Her son, Roger Kurtti, who also lives on the family farm, echoed her sentiment.
"I appreciate all he did for my mother. The whole family is grateful for the officer," he said.

Lonski credits his military training in the N.D. Air National Guard and his law enforcement training in the N.D. Highway patrol for his actions that day. He served as the day-shift flight sergeant for base entry control point during a 2013 deployment to Bagram, Afghanistan, and managed 50-60 security forces personnel.

Editor's Note: The North Dakota Air National Guard's 119th Wing in Fargo, N.D., and the 319th Air Base Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., a predominantly active-duty base, are total force partners and are proud to celebrate the exceptional occomplishments of its Warriors of the North and Happy Hooligans.