5 University of Georgia Sorority Sisters Save Mom and Kids from Sinking Car: 'Absolutely Admirable'

The women were on their way to a girls' weekend in Savannah when they jumped into action

<p>Burke County Sheriff

Burke County Sheriff's Office - Georgia/Facebook

Sorority sisters who rescued mom and kids
  • Five sorority sisters from the University of Georgia are being hailed as heroes

  • The women were on their way to a girls' trip in Savannah when they stopped after seeing a vehicle leave the road and fall into a creek

  • The five jumped to action and pulled the mom and her two kids from their sinking SUV

Five sorority sisters from the University of Georgia are being hailed as heroes for saving a mom and her two children after the woman’s SUV fell 135 feet into a creek and began to sink.

The college students were en route from Athens, where the university is located, to Savannah for a girls’ weekend last Friday when they came across the accident in Burke County, according to Fox affiliate WAGA-TV.

"We were kind of just driving down in this part of Georgia, a very rural area, and we were approaching this bridge that was probably about, like, two stories above the creek below," Molly McCollum told the news station.

But after they "observed a white SUV leave the roadway and roll over into the creek," the police said, the women stopped.

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"We kind of, like, pull over super fast, turn, go down this hill to this boat ramp area, and we just see like this white minivan submerged underwater," McCollum said.

The five women — McCollum, Jane McArdle, Eleanor Cart, Clarke Jones and Kaitlyn Iannace — then stepped into action, according to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.

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“They quickly turned around, went to the crash site, and, without hesitation, jumped in the water and pulled the driver and two children out of the vehicle,” the police said.

Cori Craft, the mother who crashed into the creek with her two kids, recalled the terrifying moment when she lost control of her car in the rainy weather.

<p>Burke County Sheriff's Office - Georgia/Facebook</p>

Burke County Sheriff's Office - Georgia/Facebook

“Once the car came to a stop, and I realized I was in the water,” Craft told WRDW-TV. “All I was thinking is like I have to get out and get my kids out.”

The group of women managed to get Craft’s 8-year-old out of the car, but her younger son was submerged for several minutes before the women got him out of the water.

"We see the mom pop out of the car, and we're just like, just tag teaming trying to get the children out of the water," McCollum recalled to WAGA-TV. "The smaller kid, he was four years old, he was like fully under for like we think about four to five minutes."

Thankfully, Jones knew CPR from her previous work as a lifeguard in high school, she said.

“I didn’t have time to swim up to the shore or anything,” Jones told WRDW-TV. “So I just sat on a tire and I laid him out on the side of the car that wasn’t under the water yet and performed CPR. Then eventually he came to and started crying and breathing. It was a really surreal experience.”

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Now, the sheriff's office and Craft are thanking the women for their heroic actions.

"The quick thinking and bravery of these women is absolutely admirable," the police said. "We are grateful you were in the right place at the right time."

One week later, Craft and her children are recovering from the scary accident — and are hoping to meet the women who doubled back to save their lives.

“I really wish I could stand face to face with these girls and thank them for how much they actually helped me and my kids get out safely,” Craft told WRDW. “We are able to be here today because of how they helped.”

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