Dempsey Lavergne III saved Ellyse R. Mercer and helped save Pamela A. Dennis from drowning, Vinton, Louisiana, July 15, 2022. Ellyse, 4, and her grandmother, Dennis, 54, remained inside a sport utility vehicle that had left the road, continued down an embankment, and entered a canal, coming to rest about 30 feet from a bank as its front end began to submerge in water about 10 feet deep. Lavergne, 31, police sergeant, was alerted to the incident by his police radio and responded to the bank, where bystanders alerted him that Ellyse and Dennis were trapped in the vehicle and provided him with a window-breaking tool. Lavergne descended the bank, removed his duty belt and ballistic vest but kept his boots on, then waded and swam out to the vehicle. As water quickly filled the front-passenger compartment, Dennis moved to the rear, freed Ellyse from her car seat, and held her above the water. Lavergne heard them screaming and arrived at the rear of the vehicle, where he stood on the bumper and broke out the glass of the rear windshield. Reaching inside, Lavergne grasped Ellyse by an arm as Dennis handed her to him. Once Ellyse was out of the vehicle, he held her above the water’s surface and swam to shallow water, where a bystander aided her to safety. Lavergne returned to the rear of the vehicle, again partially entered through the rear-windshield opening, and Dennis handed him a small dog. He exited and tossed the dog toward the bank, and it swam to safety. Lavergne again returned to the SUV’s rear and then was joined by a police corporal. By then, the SUV had almost completely submerged, with only the roof visible, and water filled the interior, submerging Dennis. Lavergne climbed onto the roof and broke out the sunroof glass with the same tool. The corporal also climbed onto the roof. Lavergne leaned inside through the broken-out sunroof, submerging his head, and found Dennis’s hand. Grasping it, Lavergne pulled Dennis upward and, once her shoulders were above the opening, he and the corporal lifted her the rest of the way out of the vehicle. The corporal then towed Dennis to shallow water, where another bystander aided her to the bank and to safety. Lavergne, too, returned to the bank and exited the canal. Ellyse and Dennis both had scratches. Dennis also swallowed water and broke her right ankle attempting to kick open the sinking vehicle’s window, requiring surgery. They both were taken by ambulance to the hospital for treatment. They recovered. Lavergne was not injured.
2024-0000202-10497Dempsey Lavergne III
Ragley, LA