Woman stuck in submerged car for 10 hours is rescued by kayaker and paddleboarder
Officials say two men were able to rescue an elderly woman from a partially submerged car near a boat ramp in Florida. The Sarasota Herald Tribune reports that the 81-year-old woman was found early Thursday after driving into the water nearly 10 hours earlier at the Higel Marine Park boat ramp in Venice.
On its Facebook page, the Venice Police Department posted images of the aftermath and surveillance video of the car entering the water.
Rob Goodman was kayaking when he spotted the car and enlisted the help of Ed Coster, who was on a paddleboard. When they saw a hand come out the window, Goodman called 911 and Coster jumped in the water and pulled the woman from the car.
By the time Venice firefighters arrived, about eight inches of the vehicle remained above the water. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
Fire Lt. Derek Lowery says the woman had apparently been trying to turn into the park and drove down the boat ramp by accident.
