By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — An unconscious driver trapped in a flooded vehicle was saved after bystanders and a deputy waded into a murky Florida canal to flip her car back onto its wheels.
The identity of the driver was not released, but the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office reports she is in critical condition at a hospital.
It happened around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 5, on Maytown Road in Oak Hill, 60 miles northeast of Orlando.
Body cam video shows a Volusia County sheriff’s deputy arrived to find the driver’s side of a vehicle submerged in about 4 feet of water, and an “unresponsive” woman belted inside.
Two people are seen attempting to flip over the vehicle, and the deputy quickly walks into the canal and joins them.
“Can we get this thing flipped or not?” he asks. “We need some help pushing.”
Grunts are heard as multiple sets of hands push against the vehicle’s roof. It slowly begins to move and is shown falling back onto its wheels in the water.
The deputy then works to cut the driver free from a tangle of seat belts and deployed airbags.
Multiple first responders are seen carrying the driver back to the road, where the Volusia County Fire Department waited with a stretcher.
“CPR was performed on the (patient) and pulses were brought back,” the Volusia County Professional Firefighters Association reported. “Prayers for the patient as she is fighting for her life.”
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=765601681220415
Volusia County officials did not identify the deputy involved, but credited “deputies, witnesses and Volusia County firefighters” with saving the driver.
The body cam video was shared July 6 on Facebook, where it had been viewed 53,000 times and gotten nearly 2,000 reactions and comments as of July 8.
Many of the commenters called the group’s actions heroic, courageous and inspiring.
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