Kayaker rescues 81-year-old woman after she was trapped in submerged car overnight
An 81-year-old Florida driver was rescued from a "potentially tragic situation" after she spent 10 hours trapped inside a car that was submerged in water, police said.
The driver, who was not identified, accidentally drove a car off the Higel Marine Park boat ramp in Venice around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Venice police.
Surveillance video shows her slowly approaching the water. However, her car doesn't stop and continues to drive into the water until the vehicle is almost entirely underwater Only the roof of the car can be seen.
Rob Goodman was putting his kayak in the water the next morning, around 7 a.m., when he noticed just a few inches of the car's roof poking out, he told ABC Tampa Bay affiliate WFTS.
He flagged down a paddle boarder and they were both making their way to the car when "her hand came out of the window."
"At that point we had to change the rules a little bit and the next thought was 'get her out.' We got her out probably about a couple of minutes before rescue got here. And she was cold so I just held onto her until she was able to be taken over by rescue crews," Goodman told WFTS.
It was not immediately clear what led to the woman driving into the water. She is now in stable condition, according to police.
"We are pleased to see a happy ending to such a potentially tragic situation," Venice police said in a statement.
