Watch terrifying rescue as Florida officers pull driver from sinking car at last second
Four police officers jumped into action, and the water, when a Florida driver crashed over an I-4 on-ramp embankment and into the retention pond below.
The Orlando Police Department shared body camera footage of the Aug. 6 rescue on its Facebook page on Aug. 11.
Police said the car went into the water after driving “over the embankment while attempting to negotiate the on-ramp corner,” according to the post.
Officers found the car partially submerged, and they called out to the driver, asking if he could open the driver’s side window, the video showed.
The driver didn’t respond, and there was a series of loud bangs as officers said the driver was trying to bust through the window.
“Go in, go in, go in,” one officer is heard saying in the video.
Two officers took off their heavy gear and waded into the water before swimming out to the car.
By the time they reached the car, it was nearly halfway submerged.
“Careful! Hey, the car’s moving!” one officer yells to those in the water.
Officers on shore threw a line out to those in the water, and two other officers jumped in, swimming out to the car.
The driver was pulled out of the car and held on to the rope as he was pulled back to shore, the video showed.
The other officers swam to the water’s edge, just as the vehicle’s tail lights disappeared under the black surface of the water.
“The four officers jumped into the water, broke out the window and pulled the occupant to safety just before the vehicle became fully submerged,” police said in the post. “Officers standing by with rope were able to help pull everyone out safely with no serious injuries.”
The crash occurred at the state road 408 and I-4 interchange in downtown Orlando.
This story was originally published August 13, 2023 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Watch terrifying rescue as Florida officers pull driver from sinking car at last second."
