Dustin Colson Leaning

Dustin Colson Leaning saved a man from drowning, La Crescent, Minnesota, June 30, 2025. The man, 37, was driving his pickup truck on an interstate when he felt faint, pulled off at a rest stop, blacked out, and then crashed through some brush into the Mississippi River. Colson Leaning, 32, program manager, was parked at the rest area with his partner when they heard the crash. They ran to the shore to see the truck bobbing in the river about 60 feet from shore. While his partner called 911, Colson Leaning swam to the floating truck, where he saw the semi-conscious driver bleeding from the face and water pouring into the cab. As the current carried the pickup farther out, Colson Leaning tried unsuccessfully to open the front, passenger door, then swam to the driver’s side and tried to open the driver’s door with the help of the man, who was now more alert but still groggy. Unable to open the driver’s door, Colson Leaning moved to the rear, driver’s-side door, which he also could not open. He placed both feet on the truck and, grabbing the rear door handle with both hands, yanked the door open as the truck began to list and sink away from him. Water rushed inside and started to push it closed again, so Colson Leaning wedged his shoulder and one foot between the frame and the door. While holding the door open, Colson Leaning grabbed the driver under his elbow and, as the driver pushed himself out, pulled him free of the pickup. The two then swam to a nearby tree branch floating in the water, where they rested, and then swam to a boat ramp dock. The driver was treated at a hospital for injuries from the crash. Colson Leaning was not hurt.

2025-0000267-10579