Woman who almost drowned in lake responds to body-shaming comments after harrowing rescue video goes viral
A woman who was filmed after she fell through the ice on a lake in Michigan is responding to body-shaming comments after her harrowing rescue video went viral.
Macomb County Sheriff's Office shared a video of the rescue to Facebook, where it's since garnered over 91,000 views at the time of this article's writing.
Korisa Miller was fishing with her friend off the docks at Lake St. Clair, Michigan on Jan. 27 when she slipped and fell into the lake's freezing waters. Her friend heard the fall and saw her struggling, but could not pull her out of the water.
The police department explained that two nearby fishermen heard Miller's screams, but struggled to rescue her too.
"The two fishermen attempted to pull the woman up onto the dock but struggled as the young lady’s body had become completely numb and she was unable to move. Her friend called for help as the fisherman held on to the young lady keeping her from slipping underwater and surely drowning."
Officials say that Miller was in the water for 15 minutes and was drifting in and out of consciousness by the time they arrived.
After the video went viral, Miller identified herself in the comments of the Facebook post when viewers questioned how she ended up in the water and why she was dressed without a coat in the winter.
“My knee bashed the dock and I hit the ice,” she explained.
She added, later referring to the body-shaming messages:
“It took only a few seconds for the ice to give in because as all of you have been saying I am a thick woman. The spot where I fell in the water was 12 feet deep and I had to hang on to stay alive.”
Miller had been wearing a coat and sweater while fishing, but the fishermen had to "rip off" her top layers because it was making it difficult for her to breathe.
“When they tried pulling me up, my hoodie and coat was choking me so they had to rip it off of me. I did not go fishing in a tank top,” she commented.
Miller later told the Detroit Free Press that despite the traumatic experience, some viewers merely chose to focus on her weight.
"After going through such a traumatic experience and I almost died, this is what people have to say. I just think these people have no conscience anymore," she said. "People have no idea that I used to be 400 pounds and now I am the way I am."
"I want to raise awareness on how dangerous ice fishing can be. I am glad I am alive and share my story," Miller added.
