A dramatic video emerged showing policemen, firefighters and passers-by running to save an Indiana family trapped under the rubble after a house explosion.
Lieutenant Kevin Van Kley – whose camera footage captured the harrowing scenes on September 10 in Porter, southeast of Chicago – received the Medal of Honor from the Porter County Sheriff’s Office this week for his heroism.
“It was nothing short of a miracle that we were around,” said the sheriff’s office, quoting him, noting that two other sergeants “also received Life Saving Awards for their critical roles in the incident.”
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The filming begins with police officers finding a scene of destruction while rubble and debris are spread across a property, with flames rising in the background.
“We are going to you. We need a lever! We need a lever!” Van Kley is heard shouting over the crackling fire.
The officer and two passers-by lift rubble to remove a crying child from below.
“Here, baby. I got you, baby … we’re going. It’s over,” Van Kley heard the 3-year-old boy heard.
Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds honors Lieutenant Kevin Van Kley with the department’s medal of honor. (Porter County Sheriff’s Office)
The policeman then walks to another part of the property, where he finds a man comforting a woman lying on the floor.
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“Hey, we need to move, we need to move,” he says.
“My leg is broken. My leg is so broken,” she replies, to which Van Kley says, “OK, it’s going to get hotter, keep moving it.”
Van Kley, police and members of the Porter Fire Department are seen holding part of a collapsed roof to rescue another woman trapped inside the rubble.
“My brother came in and lifted the mattress off me. Everyone had to drag me out,” said the rescued woman, Kayla Boomsma. NBC’s Today Program on Wednesday. “I was safe, it was a great relief.”
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Seven people, including the child, were injured in the domestic explosion caused by natural gas, according to Fox32 Chicago.
“We also want to recognize the brave Porter Fire firefighters and the other officers from the Porter, Chesterton, Burns Harbor and Ogden Dunes police departments who also actively helped rescue the family,” said the Porter County sheriff’s office in a statement. “We also want to commend the citizens of the region who came to help their neighbors.”