ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR/Gray News) – A trio of brewpub employees are being praised as heroes for saving a DoorDash driver from a frozen river.
The DoorDash driver was picking up an order at Prairie Street Brewing Company Wednesday when he drove towards the boat ramp instead of out of the parking lot, according to the Rockford Fire division chief on the scene. Authorities reported the car slid down the boat ramp and onto the frozen Rock River.
The car veered nearly 100 feet on the ice before it began to submerge.
The employees at the Prairie Street Brewing Company witnessed the car begin to sink and sprung into action when they realized the driver was still in the car.
Hope Parrotte, a server at Prairie Street Brewing Company, jumped into action after witnessing the DoorDash driver’s car veer out onto the ice Wednesday.
“I wasn’t even thinking. I just acted,” Hope Parrotte said. “After, it all kind of hit me and was very kind of overwhelming and like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just did that.’”
Parrotte, a server at Prairie Street, had greeted the DoorDash driver just minutes before. As they witnessed the car slide into the river, Parrotte said the recalled rescue tips they had learned on TikTok.
“Just in case something happened, I grabbed silverware to bang the back window out,” Parrotte said.
Parrotte was joined by two of Prairie Street’s chefs, Josh Tourville and Ryan Bullock.
“The first thing we asked when we were running down there was ‘Somebody called 911,’” Tourville said. “That’s obviously the first thing [that] needs to be done because honestly [it] could have turned into like a one-man rescue to a four-man rescue.”
The crew found a life preserver and set out cautiously on the ice to reach the driver. As they did so, Tourville considered the risks they were facing.
“It’s a river, so its ice isn’t safe. But he drove a car out there, so we figured they can support a few people,” he says.
The ice was strong enough for the crew members to throw the float ring out to the driver and pull him to safety before the car sunk too low.
Their heroic actions were recorded by Sentennio Jones, who livestreamed the rescue on social media.
“You guys are actual lifesavers,” someone is heard saying in the livestream.
While the Rockford Fire Department thanks the trio for their heroism, first responders caution others to “not try this at home.”
“Without the safety equipment, without the training, it becomes a big safety concern,” Lt. Brock Lanier with Rockford Fire said. “We’re lucky that we had the outcome that we did have.”
Tourville said that he asked himself a question before springing into action.
“Taking a quick second to assess this,” he said. “I’m actually going to help? Or, am I going to make everything worse?”
Despite the danger, Bullock argued the trio had no choice.
“Wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if we didn’t do what we did,” he said. “I don’t think they would have got there in time.”
Parrotte said the ordeal, from the 911 call to the first firefighters arriving, lasted a minute and a half.
The situation happened so quickly, that by the time Prairie Street co-founder Reed Sjostrom heard of it and rushed out to help, it was already over.
He said the rescue speaks to the brewpub’s culture.
“They are willing to do absolutely anything, whether it’s serving a table or pulling somebody out of the river, apparently,” Sjostrom said.
Both Tourville and Bullock mentioned the Parrotte’s actions were particularly heroic and that the server practically coordinated the rescue.
However, Parrotte shrugs off the title of “hero.”
“I just don’t want it all on me because that’s just kind of the person I am,” Parrotte said. “I just want to help people.”
Parrotte also said that their Spanish classes helped with the rescue.
The server noticed there was a language barrier when the driver came to pick up the order. Later, Parrotte saw the passenger window of his car was cracked open and began communicating with the driver in Spanish.
“All my Spanish started coming back to me… so I was able to communicate with him,” they said.
Once the driver was safe on shore, Parrotte translated for first responders.
As of Thursday evening, the driver left the hospital in good condition.
Rockford Fire Chief Michele Pankow said the crew will receive an honorable recognition from Rockford City Council on Feb. 18. for their actions.
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