Grandmother and Baby Rescued from Partially Submerged Car After Crashing into Watery Ditch
Florida police released video of the woman and child found “just above” the water when crews arrived
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
Body camera footage shows the harrowing rescue, which took place on Jan.
5
Police in Flagler County, Florida, have released body camera footage showing the harrowing rescue of a grandmother and baby whose car became partially submerged in a watery ditch. Two deputies responded to the scene on Jan.
5 and found a vehicle[1] that had “left the roadway and crashed into a ditch” before filling with water, according to the sheriff’s office. Police said a man was “found dazed and bleeding” outside the vehicle, while a woman and “small child” — whom NBC affiliate WESH identified as her granddaughter — were still trapped inside.[2]
Related: Driver Rescued from Mass. Floodwaters After Clinging to Tree and ‘Screaming for Dear Life’[3]
Firefighters with the Palm Coast Fire Department helped the deputies enter the vehicle, which was still “just above” the water, so they could retrieve the victims, the sheriff’s office said. Crews first extracted the baby, who was still in her car seat when they reached her. The body camera footage showed that the child’s head was barely above the water when she was found.
Fortunately, she “was alert and conscious” when pulled from the car, authorities said. The woman, meanwhile, was bleeding “heavily” when she was found, as noted by one of the deputies in the footage. She was seemingly in pain as a firefighter helped hoister her out of the overturned vehicle.
“I can’t!” she cried at one point, before a firefighter responded, “You’re good! You’re doing great.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter[4] to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Related: 2 Dead, 3 Rescued from Overturned Boat in Waters Off Alaska Coast: ‘Heavy Heart’[5] All three of the car’s occupants were transported to AdventHealth-Palm Coast for treatment, according to the police. The victims’ conditions have not been released.
Story continues “Due to the actions of the deputies and the fire department, they survived this crash,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said, per WESH. “So it could have had a very different outcome and tragic start to 2024, but instead it was a really remarkable and happy ending,” the sheriff added.
The investigation of the crash has been handed over to the Florida Highway Patrol, his office said. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter![6] Read the original article on People[7].
References
- ^ found a vehicle (www.facebook.com)
- ^ NBC affiliate WESH (www.wesh.com)
- ^ Driver Rescued from Mass.
Floodwaters After Clinging to Tree and ‘Screaming for Dear Life’
(people.com) - ^ PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter (forms.dotdashmeredith.com)
- ^ 2 Dead, 3 Rescued from Overturned Boat in Waters Off Alaska Coast: ‘Heavy Heart’ (people.com)
- ^ sign up for our newsletter! (forms.dotdashmeredith.com)
- ^ People (people.com)