Pregnant Missouri woman with a broken arm saves her toddler son from sinking vehicle

Every Thanksgiving will be extra special for a Missouri family after a young mother saved her 2-year-old son from drowning.

KSDK-TV reported that Heather Vaden of Robertsville, in Franklin County, was driving her SUV on Wednesday morning when she swerved to avoid an animal. Her vehicle left the road and hit a ditch before ending up in a pond.

As the water rushed into the vehicle, Vaden got her son, Bently, out of his car seat, and then she kicked out the rear window. After she swam about 30 feet in the cold water and got her son safely to the bank, Vaden realized her arm was broken.

KMOV-TV reported that Vaden is pregnant. The story has gone national, and CNN shared her story.

“I don’t really think of it as I’m a hero at all,” Vaden said. “I just did what I had to do to get him out.”

On her Facebook page, under the heading “I never knew this,” Vaden posted a message saying that headrests on many vehicles are deliberately kept detachable so the prongs can be used to break out a window.

While the mother and son were warming up at a nearby home, Vaden’s husband, Josh, saw the family vehicle in the pond and jumped into the water. He was unable to get inside the sinking vehicle. He later learned his family was OK.

“I’m just beyond grateful right now to have everyone with me,” he said.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 3:16 PM with the headline "Pregnant Missouri woman with a broken arm saves her toddler son from sinking vehicle."