Kayaker rescues 81-year-old woman who was trapped in submerged car for hours
A kayaker in Florida rescued an 81-year-old woman who was trapped in a submerged car for several hours, CNN reports.
On Thursday morning, Rob Goodman was paddling at Higel Marine Park in Venice, Fla., when he noticed a white car that was partially submerged. He paddled back to the dock to get a better view and saw that the door's window was slightly cracked. That was when he contacted paddleboarder Ed Coster, who he had just met earlier that day and was nearby, for help.
"This little hand and fingers came popping out," Goodman recalled. "I started calling 911 and Ed jumped into the water to try to open the door."
The two worked together to help free the woman, who had reportedly been stuck in the car since approximately 10 p.m the night before. Footage from the Venice Police Department shows her car heading into the water with nobody around to assist. The woman had apparently made a wrong turn and hit the boat ramp, a Venice Police Department employee told NBC News. Though she attempted to brake, the ramp was slick from moss and algae.
"She was wet and cold," Goodman told CNN. "I held her like a baby to get some heat on her till rescue got there."
On Thursday, Venice police posted about the incident on Facebook.
"We are pleased to see a happy ending to such a potentially tragic situation," the department wrote.
The woman is purportedly in stable condition.
