Water Rescue News

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Shallow dive kills visitor

By Kevin Krause
Staff Writer

October 30, 2002

BOCA RATON, FL · A man visiting from Puerto Rico died this weekend after he dove from a boat into shallow water in the Intracoastal Waterway, police said Tuesday.

José Rafael Tirado, 40, was in a 25-foot Grady White boat with four friends at 3:50 p.m. Saturday in an area of the Intracoastal near the mouth of the Boca Inlet known as Lake Boca Raton, a police report said.

Witnesses said Tirado dove into slightly more than 3 feet of water while the boat was anchored. George Martinez, 36, of Boca Raton told police he suggested they prepare to leave when Tirado said he wanted to dive in the water "one last time," the report said.

Tirado stepped onto the port side gunwale near the rear of the boat and dove in, the report said. Juan Orozco said he saw Tirado float to the surface face down and thought he was "fooling around," police said.

When Tirado began drifting south with the current about 20 feet behind the boat, Orozco jumped into the water to check on him and discovered he was unconscious, reports show. They called 911, while witnesses in a different boat flagged down a nearby Boca Raton Marine Patrol officer.

The Marine Patrol officer said he approached the boat and saw Martinez and Orozco holding up Tirado, who was foaming at the mouth. His head was tilted slightly to the right, and his eyes were wide open, the police report said.

Tirado was lifted into the officer's boat and taken to a dock, where Boca Raton Fire-Rescue paramedics discovered he was not breathing. He died soon after of an apparent broken neck, police said.

Lt. Frank Montilli of Boca Raton Fire-Rescue said boaters like to congregate in the calm, shallow waters of Lake Boca, especially during rough seas, to anchor and relax in the waist-deep water.

Montilli said they haven't had a lot of trouble there, but that it can be dangerous for those unfamiliar with the depths and tides. He said boaters can stop in a deep area and then drift over shallow water without knowing it.

"They need to be cautious and check the depth before jumping in," he said.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pdead30oct30,0,4847615.story?c oll=sfla%2Dnews%2Dpalm

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Mad scramble as officials chase 220 Haitians landing in Biscayne Bay

October 30, 2002

KEY BISCAYNE, FL -- A boat carrying at least 220 Haitians on board ran aground off Virginia Key on Tuesday with many passengers leaping off the bow, swimming ashore and swarming the Rickenbacker Causeway.

The U.S. Coast Guard took 20 people out of the water and put them on a Coast Guard cutter.

"It was jam-packed with people," Burns said. "It was an extremely dangerous situation."

While abandoning the boat, some of the migrants lowered children into the arms of people waiting in the water.

Burns said there were no immediate reports of deaths, although the Coast Guard and other agencies searched the water for anyone who might have gone under.

The group varied in age. The youngest on board was about 18 months old and the older passengers appeared to be in their early 30s, said Miami police spokesman Delrish Moss.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue sent emergency personnel to evaluate the migrants.

The Coast Guard came across the 50-foot wooden boat about 3:30 p.m. in Biscayne Bay, south of the Rickenbacker Causeway, said spokeswoman Anastasia Burns. Another Coast Guard vessel came to the scene so the crew could see how many people were on board, determine their medical situation and how safe the boat was. The boat eventually grounded around 4 p.m.

"Thank God we're unaware any drownings have occurred." Goldman of the U.S. Coast Guard said.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-dhaitians30oct30,0,508475.stor y?coll=sfla%2Dnews%2Dmiami

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3 boaters dead in Columbus Day regatta-related crashes

October 14, 2002, 1:20 PM EDT

MIAMI, FL -- A body found Monday in Biscayne Bay was likely that of a man reported missing in one of two weekend crashes that killed two other boaters during a holiday regatta that drew thousands of rowdy participants, authorities said.

In the first wreck, a boat was being towed by another vessel late Saturday when a third boat hit them both near the Rickenbacker Causeway, Coast Guard spokeswoman Anastasia Burns said. A man on the boat doing the towing died of severe trauma.

Three other people injured in that crash were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital, she said. Two were released; the third was still being treated Monday. None were immediately identified.

Then at 9:20 Sunday morning, the Coast Guard received a report of a missing 28-foot go-fast boat. Antonio Enrique Lauria said he lent the boat to two friends around 6:30 p.m. Saturday to take from the Coconut Grove Marina in Miami south to the where the Columbus Day Regatta was overnighting off Elliott Key.

Two kayakers spotted the boat later Sunday, lodged deep in a mangrove shoreline on the western side of the bay in southern Miami-Dade County near the old Burger King headquarters building off Eureka Drive in Biscayne National Park. One body was aboard but there was no sign of the second man, Burns said.

The body of a man was found in the bay's water at 10:42 a.m. Monday about five miles north of the crash site in the mangroves, Burns said.

``There's a very strong probability that it was in fact the person that was missing,'' said Capt. Sam Cory of the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Authorities haven't determined the cause of the crashes or if alcohol was involved, Cory said. The names of the victims weren't immediately released.

The annual regatta attracted thousands of people who lined their boats up off Elliott Key to watch a boat race Saturday and Sunday. Many seem more interesting in partying than racing.

By late Sunday, police had arrested 18 people for being under the influence while operating boats.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1014regatta,0,5046637.story?co ll=sfla%2Dhome%2Dheadlines

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Man Survives 20 Hours in Gulf Before Rescue
The Associated Press
Nov 7, 2002
NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) - A fisherman whose small boat sunk in the Gulf of Mexico survived 20 hours in the water, clinging to a cooler lid while paddling safely about 20 miles to shore. Troy Bobko, 31, of North Port, took his 17-foot boat out on an early morning fishing trip Oct. 29 when it sprung a leak and sank, taking his life jacket down with it. He floated on a cooler lid and paddled to shore, occasionally blacking out. "I remember my body shaking, my knees were cut up, I almost couldn't see from all the salt water in my eyes," Bobko told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. "It felt like broken glass in my eyes every time I blinked." He said he hardly realized when he reached shallow water. "I felt something hit my foot and I tried to kick it away before I realized it was the ground," Bobko said. He walked to a nearby house and asked them to call the police. AP-ES-11-07-02 2228EST

This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGA7ZLYJ98D.html

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Searchers Try to Find Boy Involved in Jet Ski Crash
The Associated Press
Published: Nov 18, 2002

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) - A 15-year-old Lakeland boy disappeared in the waters of Lake Gibson after his personal watercraft collided with a friend's jet ski, officials said.
Brad Hicks disappeared around 2 p.m. Sunday, after apparently turning into the path of the watercraft operated by David Norwood, 13, of Plant City. Norwood hit the side of Hicks' watercraft, and both boys fell into the water. Norwood was able to swim ashore. Hicks' father, Daryl Hicks, had brought the boys to the lake minutes earlier and was standing nearby when the mishap occurred. Daryl Hicks dove into the water, but was unable to find his son. Neither boy wore a life vest, Polk County sheriff's spokesman Scott Wilder said. Search efforts would continue through the night, Wilder said. About 60 people from Calvary Baptist Church, where Brad Hicks' parents worship, held a vigil Sunday night near the boat ramp, surrounding the boy's mother, Brenda.
Story from http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGAQ70L7O8D.html

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Pond plunge kills Anoka County brothers
Jim Adams
Star Tribune

Published Nov. 20, 2002

When Marie Ostendorf noticed her three young sons were missing, she and neighbors searched the property for them and she eventually drove a car down to the pond. With the headlights focused on the pond, Ostendorf spotted 2-year-old Mark, pulled him from the pond and began CPR.

Today, as neighbors described what had happened Tuesday night, Mark was listed in critical condition at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale.

While Ostendorf was tending to Mark, neighbor boy Mike Day waited at the front of the family's property in the 5400 block of 199th Av. NW. in Burns Township. He directed rescue workers over a berm and behind the house to the pond, neighbors said. St. Francis police, Anoka County sheriff's deputies and other emergency workers pulled Mark's 5- and 6-year-old boys from the pond and tried to save them. But Cody, 6, and Shawn, 5, died after being taken to hospitals.

Mary Green, who lives on a farm across the street from the Ostendorfs, said that she and her family prayed the rosary Tuesday for their neighbors and are crushed by the tragedy. One of Green's daughters has babysat for the Ostendorf boys, who would also come over to visit.

"When they come here, they go in four different directions," she said. Marie and Ron Ostendorf's older son, an 8-year-old, stayed with the Greens on Tuesday night while the parents were at the hospitals with the three youngest.

The Ostendorfs dug out the pond on their property. Many homes in the area have such ponds because the water table is high. The ponds allow water to pool in one spot and reduce the marshy land, neighbor Jim Day said.

Shawn was in kindergarten and Cody in first grade at St. Francis Elementary School, where a social worker was available to talk with people about the tragedy. Principal Kathy Kohnen said the boys' older brother, who is in third grade this year, often watched out for Shawn and Cody.

-- Jim Adams is at jadams@startribune.com.

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Mother thanks 'wingless angels' for brave rescue

Richard Foot
National Post

Thursday, November 21, 2002

HALIFAX - It seems extraordinary that four-year-old Evan Grace is
alive. Yet today he lies in a Halifax hospital -- breathing on his
own, his eyes wide open -- with Shelley Yates, his mother, sitting at
his side.

Mrs. Yates and her son owe their lives to good fortune and the
courage of strangers who launched a daring rescue after their car
flipped off a Nova Scotia highway last week and sank nose-first into
a flooded, roadside swamp.

"The cold water took me fast," she said. "I felt myself slipping
away ... My last thoughts were to miraculously find my sweet baby so
we could at least die together."

Yesterday, Mrs. Yates made her first public comments about the rescue.

In a letter published in two Halifax newspapers, she thanked the
dozens of city residents who helped bring her son back to life -- in
particular the "wingless angels," as she called them, who found the
sinking car and "pulled us from death's clutches."

Mark Hoadley is one of those "angels." Yesterday, he said in an
interview that he and his friends are not heroes, just ordinary
people who reacted, "one hopes, like anyone else would," after
stumbling upon calamity.

Mrs. Yates, 37, was driving with her son last Thursday on a two-lane
highway on the outskirts of Halifax. Days of torrential rains had
soaked the city and flooded the large ponds on each side of the
highway, one of which was pouring across the road. When Mrs. Yates'
Ford Taurus hit the shallow flood, it hydroplaned into the guardrail
and off the highway, landing upside down on the surface of the pond.

The mother began to panic, however, when she realized her car was
sinking in the pond. Water was rushing in and neither her doors nor
her windows would open because the electrical accessories had short-
circuited.

As Mrs. Yates prepared to die, Mr. Hoadley sped past in his pickup.
The co-owner of a construction business, he spotted two friends --
Paddy Hilchie, his business partner, and Jeff Winters, a Halifax
police officer -- driving in the other direction. He called Mr.
Hilchie on his cellphone to say hello.

Their conversation had barely started when Mr. Hoadley noticed the
sinking car, told his buddies what he had seen, and hung up to call
for help on the 911 emergency line. Mr. Hilchie and Mr. Winters
turned around and met Mr. Hoadley on the roadside overlooking the
accident.

Mr. Winters, a paramedic, stayed on shore while his friends, who are
in their 40s, swam into almost three metres of frigid water. With Mr.
Hilchie helping his buddy from the surface, Mr. Hoadley dove to see
what he could find. After several attempts he managed to open the
driver's door and came face to face with an unconscious Mrs. Yates,
strapped into her seat with the seat belt jammed.

A crowd was gathering on shore. One man threw Mr. Hoadley a
pocketknife to cut the seat belt. Taking a deep breath, Mr. Hoadley
dove back down, his feet hooked into the seat belt for purchase.
Before he began cutting, the belt somehow popped open.

"So I went back up for air and went down again and basically grabbed
her by the hair and jacket and pulled her up and gave her to Paddy,"
Mr. Hoadley said.

The men carried a lifeless Mrs. Yates to shore, where Mr. Winters
began resuscitation efforts. Mr. Hoadley and another man returned to
the water to search for others in the submerged car. They found no
one, but before they could climb out of the pond, Mrs. Yates came to
life.

"Do you have my baby," she asked.

"Jeff hollered out, 'There's a baby in the car,' " Mr. Hoadley
said. "At that point, all hell broke loose for us. We tried
everything we could to find him but the water was so murky we just
couldn't see anything."

Someone on shore had summoned a boom truck from a nearby industrial
yard. The truck arrived, hooked on to the car and raised it from the
pond. Little Evan, whose mother had released him from his car seat,
had become wedged in the shelf between the rear seats and the rear
window. As the water rushed out of the vehicle, he came flying out.

He and his mother were taken to hospital as were Mr. Hoadley and Mr.
Hilchie, both suffering from hypothermia.

Mr. Hoadley said he cannot understand how Evan survived. He believes
the little boy was under water for 15 to 20 minutes before being
rescued.

"We did everything we could to help and I'm proud of that. But we're
not heroes," Mr. Hoadley said. "That little fella, coming back from
what he's been through -- he's the hero."

Evan's condition was upgraded to fair from critical
yesterday. "There's no brain damage.... He's up and around," RCMP
spokesman Peter Marshall said.

http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?id={CE3B51D1-368A-4F3D-
9344-AA97DED05EAF}

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Two men are honored for rescue of teenager

By Nicole T. Lesson
Staff Writer

December 1, 2002

PEMBROKE PINES,FL · Two men who see each other most weekdays never thought they would work together to save someone's life.

Luis Albaladejo, a senior lifeguard at the Pembroke Pines Academic Village pool, and Jonathan Hartwell, a member of the city's Comets Swim Team that is based at the pool, joined forces to save a 13-year-old boy from drowning.

The two rescuers were honored by the Pembroke Pines Fire Department at a recent City Commission meeting.

During an afternoon swimming workout in September, the victim, a member of the city's swim team, stopped short of finishing a swimming lap in the pool. Other members of the swim team then saw that the boy was under water and not moving.

Hartwell, who was in the pool, swam toward the victim and pulled him up. Albaladejo then jumped in and helped Hartwell bring the boy to the pool deck, where he checked his pulse and found he had one. But the boy was not breathing, so the lifeguard started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

After three or fourth breaths, the boy started breathing on his own. The Pembroke Pines Fire Department responded and took him to a nearby hospital, where he was released after observation.

The boy, now 14, has returned to the swim team. It is not known what caused the emergency, but the two rescuers and others speculated that the victim overexerted himself while swimming.

Albaladejo, of Davie, and Hartwell, a Miramar resident, were presented with a plaque of recognition for their life-saving efforts by Assistant Fire Chief Dave Donzella.

"With our awards program, we outwardly recognize our own employees and residents that help make the community a safer place to live," Donzella said. "What they did, 100 percent, saved his life."

Both rescuers were humbled by being honored.

"It was nice to be recognized, but I was just doing my job," said Albaladejo, who noted that the rescued youngster is "doing great.''

"I am so glad he wanted to actually continue swimming, and he's been swimming fast,'' the lifeguard said.

As a former lifeguard, Hartwell did not hesitate when he saw the victim not moving.

"I appreciate [the honor], but I was always taught to do that," Hartwell said. "It comes as second nature. I grew up in Scouting and have always been taught to help people."

Copyright © 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-dc01recognizedec01,0,5651338.s tory?coll=sfla%2Dnews%2Dbrowar d

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Big Rig Plunges Off I-95 Into Canal

December 6, 2002

Brevard County, FL - A semitrailer went plunging off Interstate 95 into deep water Friday morning, carrying its driver with it.

The accident happened at the C-54 Canal in south Brevard County, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.

The tractor-trailer went to the bottom, and there was no sign of it, but the driver survived, officials said.

The 18-wheeler appeared to veer off the highway just as it was reaching the bridge, and went up onto the barrier along the edge of the bridge and slid almost halfway across before toppling off, troopers said.

The driver did not know how to swim, but a witness, Mort Alkhatime, said he learned fast.

"I parked my car and started looking. The truck was submerged underwater, and suddenly I saw the guy coming up. Luckily, he was the only one in the truck," Alkhatime said.

A similar accident happened three years ago at the canal. In that one, the driver was killed, and it took three days to get the big rig out of the water.

Story from http://www.newschannel2000.com/

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http://www.nbc6.net/print/1839485/detail.html

Girl Critical After Car Plunges Into Canal

Victim Was Celebrating Her Birthday

December 16, 2002

MIAMI SPRINGS, Fla. -- A 12-year-old girl is in critical condition after getting trapped in a car underwater. The crash happened Saturday night in Miami Springs as the girl celebrated her birthday. Investigators said the girl was caught in her seat belt when her mother's van plunged into a canal. Rescuers pulled the girl out several minutes later, and took her to Miami Children's Hospital.
Her mother was not injured.

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http://www.gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/saturday/martin_stlucie_e3d022cf02a1315 60095.html

Driver, trapped in canal, dies

By Will Vash, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 28, 2002

FORT PIERCE, FL -- A Kansas woman traveling with her family for the holiday died Thursday when she was trapped in a van that careened into a canal along Florida's Turnpike just south of the Indian River County line.
Sherry Kaplan, 45, of Leawood, Kan., her husband, and their three children were heading to Delray Beach following a day at a water park when the crash occurred, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Kaplan was driving south in a 2003 Chevrolet Venture in the inside lane at 6:22 p.m. when the van drifted onto the shoulder, then swerved to the right and overturned in the canal, troopers said.
David Kaplan, 52, and the couple's three children, Danielle, 13, Benjamin, 16, and Matthew, 10, managed to scramble out of the van and received only minor injuries. But Sherry Kaplan was stuck behind the wheel of the submerged van, according to the report.
David Kaplan and about eight motorists worked to free her, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Pat Santangelo said.
"The husband was doing CPR on her as we arrived," said St. Lucie County Fire District spokesman Tom Whitley. Sherry Kaplan died a short time later at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center, the report said.
David Kaplan and the children were treated and released from Lawnwood. The accident remained under investigation Friday, Santangelo said.

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Dec 30, 2002

Bodies of Three Fishermen Found; Fourth Still Missing

The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The bodies of three men who went fishing Saturday and never returned have apparently been recovered, while the search for the fourth missing man has been called off, officials said. None of the bodies were positively identified by the Manatee County medical examiner's office on Sunday. The bodies were found about 17 miles southwest of Egmont Key in the chilly Gulf of Mexico waters, all within two miles of a partially submerged boat, officials said. Friends and family members said Jesus Gonzalez, 37, took his three closest friends - Leo Moreira, 24; Juan Carlo Abad, 42; and Marino Gomez, 47 - fishing around 8 a.m. Saturday. Gonzalez told his wife they would be gone for only a couple hours. The boat was spotted around noon Sunday, Coast Guard officials said. Water temperatures in the area hovered in the upper 50s, meaning the men probably could only have survived for about six hours before succumbing to hypothermia. None of the men were wearing life jackets and the boat did not have a radio, officials said. The boat was being towed to shore late Sunday night so it could be examined by investigators. The men all lived in the same area of west Tampa and worked together at American Commercial Truck Equipment in Oldsmar, friends and family said. Gonzalez, whose birthday was Saturday, had bought the boat as an early present, his family said. He had owned several other boats, but was relatively inexperienced as a boat operator, said Faustino Dominguez Jr., the nephew of Marino Gomez. Autopsies on the recovered bodies are scheduled to be performed on Monday. It could not be determined early Monday which of the four bodies had not been recovered.
AP-ES-12-30-02 0426EST

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http://www.local6.com/orlpn/news/stories/news-186216520021231-051254.html

Tour Boat Sinks Off Everglades Park
Officials: 29 Passengers Aboard Rescued

December 31, 2002

EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. -- A tour boat with at least 29 people aboard sank in
shallow water Monday on the fringe of Everglades National Park, but there
were no deaths or serious injuries, officials said. The open, single hull
boat, 30 to 40 feet long, sank in clear weather south of Everglades City,
which is on the Gulf of Mexico just outside the park in southwestern Florida.
Rick Cook, spokesman for the national park, said it wasn't immediately clear
why the boat went down. The boat sank in a navigation channel between
Everglades City and Chockoloskee Bay, Cook said. The distress call came at
about 2:45 p.m. EST. Paramedics checked those rescued when they were brought
back to the park visitor center at Everglades City. Cook said he didn't know
the exact number of people on board, but said the boat can hold up to 36. A
firefighter at the Everglades City fire station said 29 people were aboard.
Both said everyone was rescued and accounted for. "The rangers were there
with their own patrol boats and people were gotten out as quickly as
possible," Cook said. He said one elderly lady "seemed to be distressed" and
was sent to a hospital. He said he did not have the woman's name, or which
hospital she was taken to. At the nearest hospital, Naples Community
Hospital, a woman at the emergency room said she was not aware of such a
patient. Cook also said some people suffered "minor lacerations resulting
from boarding our boats" but said he wasn't aware of any injuries beyond
that. Park rangers tied the swamped boat to mangroves on a nearby island to
keep it from drifting. The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety
Board were expected to investigate, Cook said

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http://www.floridatoday.com/topstories/123102boat.htm

Agencies investigate sinking of tourist boat

Associated Press
December 31, 2002

EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. - The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board today are investigating the events that led to the sinking of a tour boat near Everglades National Park.The boat with at least 29 people aboard sank in shallow water Monday on the fringe of the park, but there were no deaths or serious injuries, officials said.
The open, single hull boat, 30 to 40 feet long, sank in clear weather south of Everglades City, which is on the Gulf of Mexico just outside the park in southwestern Florida. Rick Cook, spokesman for the national park, said it wasn't immediately clear why the boat went down.
The boat sank in a navigation channel between Everglades City and Chockoloskee Bay, Cook said. The distress call came at about 2:45 p.m. EST. Paramedics checked those rescued when they were brought back to the park visitor center at Everglades City. Cook said he didn't know the exact number of people on board, but said the boat can hold up to 36.
A firefighter at the Everglades City fire station said 29 people were aboard. Both said everyone was rescued and accounted for. "The rangers were there with their own patrol boats and people were gotten out as quickly as possible," Cook said. He said one elderly lady "seemed to be distressed" and was sent to a hospital. Cook also said some people suffered "minor lacerations resulting from boarding our boats" but said he wasn't aware of any injuries beyond that.

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www.news8austin.com

One dead after car plunges in Colorado River

12/31/2002 10:25:46 PM
By: News 8 Austin Staff

Dive crews search the river.
One person is confirmed dead in Tuesday night's accident involving a car that drove off Caldwell Lane and into the Colorado river.
Around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday the Austin Fire Department responded with dive teams to a water rescue in the Colorado River in Eastern Travis County.
Divers recovered the vehicle and are still searching for one other missing person. Authorities say speed and alcohol may have been factors in the accident.
Three of the five people in the car escaped and survived. They were taken to Brackenridge Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. They are believed to be in their 20's.

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http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/5771817p-6742029c.html

Woman rescued after her car is swept into a swollen stream


By Christine Vovakes --
Thursday, January 2, 2003

CHICO -- A 34-year-old Nevada woman who tried to cross a flooded road west of Chico and was swept downstream Wednesday was able to cling to her swamped car until two firefighters swam to her rescue, officials said.Kathleen Allen attempted to drive across a portion of Ord Ferry Road that was flooded by tributaries of the nearby Sacramento River and posted with warning signs. Her small sedan began to float and then was swept into the swift, rain-swollen current, according to Capt. Rob Sonstang of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection/Butte County Fire and Rescue.

"The car was washed about 30 feet off the road and into the current," he said. "It floated downstream and caught on a felled oak tree."Allen opened her window and managed to crawl out."She was clinging to the side of her car," Sonstang said. "Only about 1 1/2 feet of her vehicle was sticking out of the water."Sonstang, a swift-water rescue instructor, and Scott Gutierrez were in the first fire truck to respond to the 9 a.m. incident, which was witnessed by several people and prompted numerous calls to emergency dispatch.They donned their rescue gear and life vests and slipped into the chilly water."We were about 75 to 100 feet away from her," Sonstang said.As they swam toward her, they encountered numerous obstacles, including barbed wire. They reached her in a spot where the water was about 4 to 5 feet deep."She was fully clothed. Her coat probably weighed an extra 20 pounds because it was full of water," Sonstang said. "We took the coat off, put a life vest on her and pulled her on top of the vehicle."After checking Allen's condition, they slid back into the water with her and swam a short distance to rescue workers who were waiting downstream to help them onto dry ground.Allen was taken to Enloe Medical Center in Chico, treated for hypothermia and released.A California Highway Patrol spokesman said Allen was cited for disregarding a "road closed" sign.Ord Ferry Road has numerous signs warning motorists not to drive through it when flooded, said CDF/Butte County Fire spokeswoman Janet Marshall."There are several dips in the road," she said. "It goes up and down like a roller coaster."Recent heavy rains have resulted in swollen creeks that thread through Butte County, flooding many rural roads.Marshall urged motorists to use extreme caution when encountering any roadway covered with water.

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Story from http://www.sun-herald.com/

Englewood man hurt in personal watercraft wreck

ENGLEWOOD, Fla -- A 45-year-old man was flown to Lee Memorial Hospital Wednesday afternoon after falling off his personal watercraft vehicle and spending nearly 40 minutes in Lemon Bay, authorities said. Dee Hawkins, Charlotte County Fire and EMS spokeswoman, said bystanders plucked the man out of the water around 3:15 p.m. and took him to Stump Pass State Park where he was treated by paramedics. Emergency officials did not release the man's name. He suffered a fractured thigh bone and had border-line hypothermia, Hawkins said. But the cause of the accident was unknown. "From what I understand the Jet Ski flipped," Hawkins said. "I don't know why it flipped. There were no other watercraft involved. The bystanders were very helpful." Hawkins said the accident occurred near Stump Pass. Englewood Area Fire Control District firefighter Pat Carter said rough seas may have played a part in the man's fall. Carter said a Charlotte County Sheriff's boat was already in the water and able to assist paramedics. He said an ambulance took the man to the Stump Pass Marina on County Road 775 where a Bay Flite rescue helicopter picked him up. But Carter said it was the Sheriff's Office quick marine response that played a large part in the man's rescue. "Our response time in a boat probably would have been at least 30 minutes," Carter said. "As it was, it probably took us six to eight minutes."

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/templates/misc/printstory.jsp?slug=sfl%2Dc3bd ig21jan21

Man killed after SUV crashes into canal

January 21, 2003
Davie, FL -- A 36-year-old Weston man was killed Monday when the SUV he was driving flew off Interstate75 and plowed into a shallow canal.

Witnesses told state troopers that the SUV driven by Kendrick Dennis was headed northbound just north of Arvida Parkway at about 6:20 p.m. They said the white Land Rover Discovery had been going at least 60 mph for at least 20 seconds before it jerked right, crossed all four lanes of the northboard traffic and went more than 100 yards off the road. The SUV went airborn briefly before slamming into the far side of the canal and rolling into the water.

One onlooker climbed into the canal to try and keep Dennis' head above the water. Davie Fire Rescue personnel pulled out the driver in 10 to 12 minutes and started CPR, but were unable to revive him.

Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Stephanie Redding said the cause of the accident had not been immediately determined.

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http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030131&Category=APN&ArtNo=301310635&Ref=AR

Father, son survive 30-foot plunge off Sunshine Skyway Bridge in SUV

January 31, 2003
The Associated Press

Tampa, Fla- A father and son survived a 30-foot fall into Tampa Bay after the SUV they were in flipped several times and careened off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.

Robert Ovens, 45, and his son Hunter, 14, were headed south to their Bradenton home at about 8 p.m. Thursday when the 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe went out of control and flipped several times, said Lt. Rick Feinberg, a St. Petersburg Fire Rescue spokesman.

The Tahoe rode atop a 3-tall concrete barrier before falling into the bay, Feinberg said. The Ovens were wearing their seat belts and managed to exit the SUV soon after they hit water, but the elder Ovens got hurt in the fall. His son kept him afloat in the 15-foot waters and helped him get to one of the bridge's pillars, Feinberg said.

"He saved his father's life," he said.

The teen and his father held on to a garden hose lowered by a passing motorist above while they waited for firefighters to rappel down to them.

Robert Ovens hurt his left shoulder, upper left thigh and pelvis in the fall. His son was not injured, Feinberg said.

The Sunshine Skyway links St. Petersburg in Pinellas County in the north to Manatee County in the south and spans the mouth of Tampa Bay.

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-chero05feb05,0,1569632.story?c oll=sfla-news-broward


Passers-by in Pompano save woman from sinking car

By Robert Nolin
Staff Writer

February 5, 2003

POMPANO BEACH, FL · What would have been another canal drowning Monday afternoon instead became a heroic rescue after six passers-by snatched a woman from a sinking car and, one firefighter said, certain death.

The 83-year-old woman, whose identity was not available, was driving near her condo in the 2800 block of Palm Aire Drive South in Pompano Beach around 5 p.m. when she suddenly wheeled her Toyota Camry into a deep canal near a curve, Pompano Beach Fire-Rescue spokesman Ted Martin said.

Robin Gorsky, driving by, saw the accident and clambered down the embankment. She quickly waved down Felix Singletary, an AT&T cable technician searching for an address. The woman's car was fast disappearing. "They could hear the lady screaming," Martin said.

Singletary flagged down three men in a passing van -- Rivaldo Germano Guemano, Fabian Ramirez and Aldo Walter Silveira, all of Fort Lauderdale -- and the group jumped into the water and tried to pull the car door open.

Canal water made that impossible. The car continued to sink until its interior was full.

"You couldn't even see anybody in the car," Singletary said. "Time was going by so quick, in a blur."

A sixth man, Tommy Silichein, pulled over and dove in with the others. Once the water pressure in the car became equal, the six were able to heave open a door and pull the woman to safety.

"They truly saved her life," Martin said. "This was a definite save. She was going under."

The woman, with no obvious injuries, was taken to North Ridge Medical Center in Oakland Park for evaluation.

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pgladescrash05feb05,0,739

4381.story?coll=sfla-news-palm

Three sugar-cane field workers perish when van goes into canal

By Kevin Krause
Staff Writer

February 5, 2003

Three farmworkers heading to sugar-cane fields near Belle Glade on Tuesday
were killed in a foggy, predawn accident when their van flipped into a canal,
state troopers said.

Jesus Mendez, 34, of Pahokee, Jorge Vasques, 44, of Clewiston and Juan
Contreras, 46, of Pahokee died at the scene. Three others inside the van
survived.

The six men, three of whom were related, were westbound on a dirt road when
their 1998 van veered off the road 16 miles east of Belle Glade and went into
the canal at 5:45 a.m., said Lt. Pembrook Burrows of the Florida Highway
Patrol.

Although the exact cause is unknown, rescue workers suspect that the
darkness, dense fog and smoke from burning sugar cane fields nearby
contributed to the accident, as well as two chain-reaction crashes 100 feet
away on Southern Boulevard about a mile east of U.S. Highway 98.

Only minor injuries were reported in the other crashes, which involved a milk
truck, a molasses tanker and a tractor-trailer. The pileups and resulting
fuel spills shut down Southern Boulevard for about seven hours.

"The fog was so thick, you could barely see two feet in front of your
vehicle," said Sean Pamplona, spokesman for Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue.
Firefighters and paramedics headed to the crashes were issued a safety alert
due to the bad visibility.

When the van skidded into the West Palm Beach Canal, two of the men managed
to get out and flagged down a pickup truck that was behind them, Burrows
said. They then got another man out of the submerged van. Using a chain, the
pickup truck pulled the van out of the water. Two bodies were inside the van,
and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office divers found the third victim in the
canal, according to FHP.

The driver, Miguel Contreras, 46, was taken to Palms West Medical Center with
minor injuries, along with passengers Carlos Contreras, 25, and Jamie Santan,
29, all of whom live in Pahokee, reports show.

The accident remains under investigation and FHP will turn its findings over
to the State Attorney's Office.

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Man Dies After Being Trapped In Bobcat Tractor
Tractor Becomes Submerged

February 6, 2003
A man in Volusia County, Fla., who became trapped in a submerged Bobcat tractor Thursday died after rescue workers were unable to reach him in time, according to Local 6 News.
Authorities said that the enclosed tractor somehow became submerged in water near Deleon Springs in Western Volusia County.

Local 6 News reported that the man was trapped underwater for an unknown amount of time but was extricated from the machine and taken to shore by emergency workers.

Police are investigating how the piece of machinery became submerged.

Watch Local 6 News for the latest on this breaking news story.

Story from http://www.local6.com/

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pboatfire12feb12,0,4629250.sto ry?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Man dies as powerboat burns off Lake Worth

By Nancy L. Othón
Staff Writer

February 12, 2003

Lake Worth, Fla -- A part-time Palm Beach County resident apparently drowned Tuesday after he either jumped or was thrown from a 25-foot powerboat that caught fire one mile east of the Lake Worth Pier, officials said.

Thomas Hypio, 74, who split his time between Michigan and West Palm Beach, was trying to fix the boat's engine when there was some sort of fire or explosion about 11:30 a.m., said Jim Huffstodt, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the accident.

Two other men aboard the boat were not injured, Huffstodt said. An autopsy was to be performed to determine the cause of Hypio's death.

A good Samaritan in the area reported the vessel on fire to the Coast Guard, and a boat from Sea Tow that was already in the Boynton Beach area raced to the scene, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Anastasia Burns.

"As soon as the mayday call came in, our captain ran," said Amy Tolderlund, office manager for Sea Tow Palm Beach. "It could have been an explosion. I don't know. It was something that happened very suddenly."

Sea Tow arrived in seven minutes, and the fire on the boat was out, but one man was unconscious in the water, Tolderlund said. The person who reported the accident, whose name was not released, helped drag Hypio onto the Sea Tow boat.

Lifeguards with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue, who were monitoring radio traffic, set out in an inflatable rescue boat and met Sea Tow halfway, said Don May, beach safety supervisor.

The Sea Tow captain "was frantically pointing in the back of his boat, and he had a man in the back boat," May said. "He was not breathing. There was no heartbeat and there seemed to be evidence of burn marks on the body."

An Ocean Rescue lifeguard began performing CPR as the boat headed to the Boynton Beach boat ramp on Federal Highway near Gateway Boulevard.

Boynton Beach Fire Rescue took Hypio to Bethesda Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The damaged boat was taken to the Palm Beach Yacht Center forso Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators could examine.

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http://www.nbc-2.com/

Panic deadly when cars go under

Cara Jones

Jan. 29, 2003
LEE COUNTY, Fla.— Three accidents in the past week have all ended tragically with drivers unable to escape as their cars sank in local waters.
Tuesday, a 30-year-old man was killed when his pickup truck suddenly veered off the road and into a canal. Authorities believe he drowned.
Monday, also in Cape Coral, a 68-year-old man drowned after he drove into the path of a pickup truck, and the impact sent his car into a nearby canal.
Thursday, in south Fort Myers, a 67-year-old woman drowned when her car blew a tire and veered into a retention pond.
Law enforcement officers say panic is the number one mistake people make when they hit the water, and there are a few things drivers can do in the two to three minutes before their car is submerged that might just save their life.
Many cars get submerged in waters many could actually stand in. But when panic sets in, that two to three minute reaction time is lost. By the time emergency crews respond, it’s usually too late.
"It’s discouraging for us," said Ryan Bell of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. "The panic sets in and people do what comes natural. Eventually the stress sets in and it leads to their demise."
So what do you do to get out alive?
The first thing is to make sure you have your seat belt on – that way you can stay strapped in and avoid getting injured.
Experts say that when you hit water, you also want to make sure to keep your car running – believe it or not your cars power windows should work underwater.
"A lot of people, when the water starts setting in, they put the car in park and turn the car off," Bell said.
Once the car starts sinking, experts say you'll have two to three minutes before its submerged. If you can't roll down a window, you'll want to get a simple window smasher or emergency hammer.
You can buy a device as small as a key chain that has a razor on it to cut the seatbelt. It also has a window breaker. You just put it up to a window and it will smash in a instant. If all else fails, your car windshield is designed to pop out – you can even do that with your feet.
If you can't break free, wait for the water to fill the car. Once the pressure equalizes, your door should open. The most important thing to remember is do not panic – because there is almost always some way out.
One type of device, called Res-Q-Me, can be bought over the Internet or at many hardware stores. You can also keep a simple hammer or screwdriver handy to do the trick.
Just to give a sense of that two to three minute reaction time, it’s likely longer than it took you to read this story.

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-saccident12feb13,0,6680389.sto ry?coll=sfla-news-broward

Worker killed after small bulldozer rolls into Miramar lake

By Vicky Agnew
Staff Writer

February 13, 2003

MIRAMAR · A 42-year-old Miami man died Wednesday when the small bulldozer he was operating at a construction site tumbled into a lake and trapped him beneath the water.

Police said Francel Pedilus, of 4720 NE Miami Place, was trapped underwater for at least 30 minutes before rescue divers pulled him out.

He was airlifted to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, where he was pronounced dead, Miramar Police spokesman Bill Robertson said.

Pedilus was an equipment operator for Watson Trucking and Equipment Rental in Sunrise. He had been with company for six years and was a "great employee," said John Watson, the company's owner.

"He was a nice, happy-go-lucky guy trying to get ahead in the world like everybody else," Watson said. "It's just one of those things. You don't know how or why it happens, it just happens."

Watson would not comment on the accident and said Pedilus had not been involved in any others with the company.

The accident happened about 8:30 a.m. at the Isles at Sunset Lake along the 18500 block of Southwest 50th Court.

Pedilus was operating a Bobcat front-end loader and had driven into a manmade lake about eight feet from the shore to rinse the bucket. When he turned right to leave the lake, the Bobcat turned over and rolled into the lake, sinking at least 30 feet to the bottom, Robertson said.

The first officer on the scene dived into the water but couldn't find the Bobcat.

Two fire-rescue divers then found Pedilus still in the Bobcat's cab. He had managed to unbuckle his seat belt and lift the protection bar but was unable to escape the cab, Robertson said.

Prince Smith, 46, a construction worker at the site, saw Pedilus roll into the water. Smith said he called 911 while another worker went in after Pedilus but was unable to reach him.

"I think the only mistake there was that he should have backed out," Smith said. "You have to think about where you are at all times. We're out here every day and you just never know."

An investigator from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Fort Lauderdale office visited the site after the accident. The investigation could take several months, said OSHA Area Director Luis Santiago.

The Miramar accident was similar to one in December in which a 66-year-old bulldozer operator working in Weston at the edge of a rock pit rolled his machine into the water and was pinned on the bottom. OSHA's investigation into that accident continues, Santiago said.

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-chero05feb05,0,1569632.stor


Passers-by in Pompano save woman from sinking car

By Robert Nolin
Staff Writer

February 5, 2003

POMPANO BEACH, Fla · What would have been another canal drowning Monday
afternoon instead became a heroic rescue after six passers-by snatched a
woman from a sinking car and, one firefighter said, certain death.

The 83-year-old woman, whose identity was not available, was driving near her
condo in the 2800 block of Palm Aire Drive South in Pompano Beach around 5
p.m. when she suddenly wheeled her Toyota Camry into a deep canal near a
curve, Pompano Beach Fire-Rescue spokesman Ted Martin said.

Robin Gorsky, driving by, saw the accident and clambered down the embankment.
She quickly waved down Felix Singletary, an AT&T cable technician searching
for an address. The woman's car was fast disappearing. "They could hear the
lady screaming," Martin said.

Singletary flagged down three men in a passing van -- Rivaldo Germano
Guemano, Fabian Ramirez and Aldo Walter Silveira, all of Fort Lauderdale --
and the group jumped into the water and tried to pull the car door open.

Canal water made that impossible. The car continued to sink until its
interior was full.

"You couldn't even see anybody in the car," Singletary said. "Time was going
by so quick, in a blur."

A sixth man, Tommy Silichein, pulled over and dove in with the others. Once
the water pressure in the car became equal, the six were able to heave open a
door and pull the woman to safety.

"They truly saved her life," Martin said. "This was a definite save. She was
going under."

The woman, with no obvious injuries, was taken to North Ridge Medical Center
in Oakland Park for evaluation.

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http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/the_news_local_news/article/0,1651,TCP_1028_1752448,00.htm l

Boy drowns imitating scene from surf film

By Gabriel Margasak staff writer
February 18, 2003

PORT SALERNO, FL — The mission was to swim with a metal tow chain across the murky pond. The kids had seen something like it in a recent surfing movie. But in real life, the test of endurance left a 13-year-old boy dead and his friends and family in mourning. Rescue workers and divers late Sunday pulled the lifeless body of Anthony Alfonsin from a pond just down the street from his home on Highland Road. Martin County sheriff's spokeswoman Sgt. Jenell Atlas on Monday called the boy's death an accidental drowning. "He was just a kid, a typical teenager, full of life," said family friend Diana Revello, 44, as relatives and others gathered at the family's modest mobile home. "It's a very caring, close family, like something you'd find back in the 50s." Revello said Anthony's mother, Deborah Wilcox, and his four sisters and brother were making funeral arrangements for the Murray Middle School sixth-grader. And they tried to piece together what had happened at the pond. Several neighborhood children had met at the pond, brimming with the torrential rains that hit the area on Sunday afternoon, down a rutted dirt street off Salerno Road, just east of Kanner Highway. Revello and two of the children who were at the pond Sunday said they were emulating the surfer-girl flick "Blue Crush," in which a young wave-rider trains for competition by carrying a stone across the ocean bottom. Others said it could have been a television show. "They were playing a game, something they had seen in a movie or on TV," Revello said. "Each one of them was going to carry something across the lake." Four or five of the neighborhood kids had decided on a baby carriage, a milk jug and two chains, including about a 10-foot tow chain, authorities and witnesses said. "I went only a little bit of the way," said Danielle Stremski, 14. "I took it off because it was too heavy." Anthony took the chain and tied it around his waist. "We tried to help him, but it was too heavy ... he said he was drowning," she said. "The kids tried," Revello said. "He slipped from his brother's hands." The children went for help, ending up on the doorstep of Angela Unger, 29, whose 9-year old daughter was at the pond with her friends. Emergency workers got the call at 6:11 p.m. "Me and my husband just ran to the pond," Unger said. "It was mucky ... my husband was in the water for 20 minutes." She said rescue workers told them to get out of the 12- to15-foot deep water so they could continue the search. "We didn't want to stop trying," she said. Sheriff's deputies and county fire rescue divers searched for about 30 minutes before they found Anthony's body. Revello, meanwhile, called the death a tragedy. "Who knew it was that deep?" she said. "It's a shame."

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http://www.nbc13.com/news/1982271/detail.html

Children Feared Missing After Car Swept Off Bridge

Rescue Team From Alabama Helps In Search

February 17, 2003

PULASKI, Tenn. -- Officials searched Monday for two Alabama youngsters missing after the car driven by their aunt was swept off a bridge in south Tennessee near the Alabama line in the wake of heavy rains. She survived after a dramatic rescue.
The woman, Lisa Norwood, 31, was able to roll down a window and get out of the car, and then floated about 100 yards down the rain-swollen Elk River before being saved late Sunday night after three hours in the water, said Capt. Dennis Russell of the Giles County Rescue Squad.
Ground crews and a helicopter were searching for 12-year-old Emmet Furguson and his sister, Eliza Furguson, 7, of Toney, Ala., just across the state line.
Emergency officials said Norwood was unable to help the youngsters because of the swift current.
The car was not recovered and was believed to be submerged with the two in it.
"It's sad but that's about all we can do right now," Russell told The Daily Herald of Columbia.
He said the current has been too swift for divers to recover the car.
"We're hoping for a miracle," Valerie Rhoden, a cousin of the youngsters, told WKRN-TV of Nashville.
Officials at the scene said a sign had been posted before the accident warning motorists about high water.
A boat sent into the river to retrieve Norwood at a railroad bridge pylon capsized, leaving her and at least four rescuers in the water. All were pulled out by rope from the nearby bridge. She was treated for hypothermia and the rescuers suffered minor cuts and abrasions.
A rescue squad from Elkmont, Ala., is helping with the search.

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http://www.nbc13.com/print/1986249/detail.html?use=print
nbc13.com

Searchers Find Body Of Alabama Child In River

Rescuers Continue Search For 12-Year-Old Boy

February 18, 2003

PULASKI, Tenn. -- The body of a north Alabama child missing for two days was
found early Tuesday inside a car swept away by floodwaters, and searchers
continued looking for a second missing youngster.
The body of 7-year-old Eliza Furguson, of Toney, Ala., was recovered from a
car that was swept off a bridge over the Elk River by high waters Sunday,
said Kurt Pickering, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency spokesman.
The search for her brother, 12-year-old Emmet Furguson, continued.
"The little girl was inside and they don't know where the boy is. He's still
missing," Pickering said.
The children's aunt was driving when the accident occurred and survived after
a dramatic rescue.
Lisa Norwood, 31, was able to roll down a window and get out of the car, then
floated about 100 yards down the rain-swollen Elk River. She was finally
saved after three hours in the water late Sunday night, said Chief Dennis
Russell of the Giles County Fire Rescue squad.
Ground crews and a helicopter searched for the children most of Monday and
resumed the efforts at dawn Tuesday.
Emergency officials said Norwood was unable to help the youngsters because of
the swift current. The river, swollen after three days of heavy rain, also
was too swift on Monday to allow divers to search for the car.
"It's sad but that's about all we can do right now," Russell told The Daily
Herald of Columbia.
Officials at the scene said a sign had been posted before the accident
warning motorists about high water.
A boat sent into the river to retrieve Norwood at a railroad bridge pylon
capsized, leaving her and at least four rescuers in the water. All were
pulled out by rope from the nearby bridge. She was treated for hypothermia
and the rescuers suffered minor cuts and abrasions.
The first fatality from the storm was reported Monday by the Tennessee
Highway Patrol. Jason C. Nixon, 32, of Gordonsville was killed Saturday
morning when his pickup hydroplaned on U.S. Highway 70 in Carthage and
collided with another vehicle.
Across Tennessee, several rivers remained above flood stage Tuesday. Some
parts of the state, particularly around Knoxville, received up to 7 inches of
rain Saturday and Sunday, and the eastern part of the state suffered the most
property damage, TEMA officials said.
According to TEMA's preliminary numbers, 46 homes were destroyed and 145 were
damaged in Knox and Rhea counties. Claiborne County also suffered some damage
to structures, Pickering said.
A mudslide destroyed an apartment building in the Karns community early
Sunday, forcing the evacuation of several dozen tenants and leaving one man
with serious injuries, authorities said.
Anthony Justice was buried in the mud at the Forest Ridge Luxury Apartments
for nearly nine hours and remained in critical condition Tuesday at
University of Tennessee Medical Center.
Knox County engineering officials said Monday that dirt piled near the
apartment complex was a factor in the mudslide.
Bruce Wuethrich, head of Knox County's Engineering and Public Works
Department, said a large amount of soil was piled above the existing
apartments on a site where a second phase of the complex is under
construction. Soil also had been used to fill in a ravine, he said.
"Had we known about it, something could have been done," he told The
Knoxville News-Sentinel. "At these construction sites, people move things
around, and we never know."
Leo Lacamera, a Knox County drainage engineer, said no building codes were
violated but the accident could have been prevented.
"It's a good idea, if you're going to stockpile a large amount of soil, to
have it in an area where if it does slide, it won't hit anything," Lacamera
said.

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http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story145066.html

Sunday, February 23, 2003

Father, son rescued from Roanoke River
Floods wreak havoc across Roanoke, New River valleys

One of the men had already been rescued from the river once Saturday, when his truck was washed off a bridge by the torrent of water.

By TOM ANGLEBERGER
THE ROANOKE TIMES

IRONTO, VA - Two men were rescued from the flooded, frigid North Fork of the Roanoke River on Saturday after a tense wait of more than two hours ended in a terrifying climax and nick-of-time rescue. One of the men had already been rescued from the river once Saturday, when his truck was washed off a bridge by the torrent of water. After being rescued by a private watercraft, he returned with his father in an attempt to save items he had left in the vehicle. This time, the river swept both men away, and they clung to trees, hollering for help, as they awaited rescue. Several attempts to save Stewart and Brian Quesenberry failed. Hopes had been raised and dashed as ropes had fallen short, a ladder from a firetruck hadn't reached far enough and a rescue boat returned to shore with engine trouble. Then one of the men let go of the tree he'd been clinging to. As the man was swept downstream, emergency personnel from at least five localities watched helplessly. Some ran down the road trying to shine flashlights on the head bobbing above the muddy, churning water. Suddenly, on a day when so many things had gone wrong, something went miraculously right. Members of Salem Fire-EMS' Swift Water Rescue Team arrived. Their boat shot from the shore on a course to intercept the man. They caught up to him quickly, but he went under. Fireman Tim Graham, a member of the three-man boat crew, said he was afraid the man had gotten past them. Then "he bopped up right beside the boat." At some point, Fireman Mike Elston jumped into the water to help get the man into the boat. Once all four men were onboard, the boat headed for shore. The rescued man was plucked from the boat, put into an ambulance and taken to Carilion New River Valley Medical Center. But the rescue wasn't over yet. Graham's boat went back into the river after the second man. But it caught on barbed wire and the motor stalled. The boat was swept downstream and out of sight. There was nothing the rescue workers on the riverbank could do for the boat, so they returned their attention to rescuing the other man, still stranded in the river. While one team tried to wade into the river, others tried to prepare another boat. It wouldn't start. They were in the midst of switching batteries when Graham's boat came back into sight - running again, but struggling against the flood-powered current. Graham said they relied on a skill they had learned in training - keep the boat headed directly into the current. It worked. They fought their way upstream to the second man, grabbed him and made their way back to shore. This man, too, was loaded into an ambulance and whisked away. The two Blacksburg men were in serious condition after so much time in the frigid water, according to a Montgomery County Sheriff's Office news release. The North Fork of the Roanoke River, like many other rivers, creeks and ditches across the New River Valley, had been causing problems since early that morning. Already swollen by melting snow and ice, these waterways were made wild by a steady downpour. Near Riner, where a high school basketball tournament was being held, water was flowing over the main thoroughfare, Virginia 8. Indian Valley Road in Floyd County was under the waters of Meadow Creek in one spot and was being undercut by Indian Creek in another spot. In Giles County, mudslides closed U.S. 460. Blacksburg's Plantation Road disappeared into a lake of muddy water. Christiansburg's Hans Meadow subdivision had a small lake and rushing cataract. In Lafayette, where the North and South forks of the Roanoke River come together, a trailer park had to be shored up with sandbags. Upstream, the North Fork was sprawling across the narrow valley between Paris Mountain and the Pedlar Hills. "I would say it's 3 to 4 feet deep in North Fork Road, and it's flowing full current," said Hollis Charlton, who was staying with his fiancee in the small community of Fagg. Water was almost up to the mailboxes across the street, he said. "Fagg Park is no more," he said of a small riverside park. Both the park's sign and picnic table had disappeared, he said. "This is really, really bad."

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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=7141813&BRD=1377&PAG=461&dept_id=172922&rfi=6

Man rescued from flooded car; more rain likely

By MATTHEW COLEMAN

February 21, 2003


Aaron Achord sustained some good-natured ribbing from co-workers but no injuries Friday morning after he and his car had to be rescued from a flooded county road.

"They're having some fun with this," said Achord, the new engineering and operations manager for Magnolia Electric.

Achord was on his way to work around 7:30 a.m. when he tried to go through a flooded area on Fern Lane. Achord indicated the water, from a Bogue Chitto River tributary, did not appear too deep and he started to ease across the area.

"The next thing I knew the car was floating toward the woods," Achord said.

Clifford Galey, Lincoln County Civil Defense director, said there was nothing Achord could do at that point.

"He eased off in there, and the water got quicker and deeper than he expected," Galey said.

When the car got stuck, Achord got out and used a cellular telephone to call for help.

"I'm standing on the hood of the car, 'Get me a wrecker,'" Achord said in recalling the incident.

Galey said that was the smart thing to do.

"He was very patient in waiting for us to get here to assist him," Galey said.

Galey stressed the importance of a proper response when a person's car get flooded. He said they should either stay in the vehicle or get on the roof and not get into the water to try and get out.

"If the water is swift enough to move a car, imagine what it could do if you got in it," Galey said.

Firefighters used a boat to get to Achord and a wrecker service to pull his car from the water. Achord was out of the water by around 8:15 a.m.

Volunteer firefighters from Zetus, Hog Chain, New Sight, and Loyd Star, as well as sheriff's department and civil defense officials assisted in the rescue.

Fern Lane was one of several county roads that were reported flooded after last night's heavy rains.

Galey said flooded roads included East Lincoln and West Lincoln, Field Lark Lane and several others. Road flooding was also reported in the Bogue Chitto area.

Galey said several inches fell within a few hours and that caused flooding.

"There's no where for the water to go," Galey said.

Four inches of rain in the last 24 hours was recorded at the city's waste water treatment plant this morning. Officials said that total was higher than the daily rainfall amount last year for either Tropical Storm Isidore or Hurricane Lili, both of which averaged about 2.5 inches of rain a day when they came through the area.

In the city, there was a report of a house flooded on Lipsey Street.

Brookhaven Police Chief Pap Henderson and a sheriff's department spokesman said their offices had received no reports of damage.

"We've had a little high water, but everything has been OK," Henderson said.

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http://www.news-journal.com/news/newsfd/auto/feed/news/2003/02/22/1045891857.16698.2215.3796.htm l

School bus stranded by deep water

By JAMES DRAPER

HENDERSON, TX — People in East Texas woke to wet skies and soggy newspapers Friday, but for several Henderson schoolchildren, their morning bus ride turned into a wet adventure. With the area's average rainfall at 1.8 inches, water levels were up around creeks and on roadways. The rain was still falling when Ruth Ramirez began her bus route on the outer edges of the Henderson Independent School District. After picking up her first seven students, Ramirez rounded the corner on Rusk County Road 3181 and found her bus moving through deeper and deeper water. But she realized it was too late. With water, water everywhere — and not to mention fog — she called at 6:17 a.m. for help. "She did the appropriate thing by just stopping," said Dale Dorsey, director of transportation at Henderson ISD. "It would have been worse if she backed out." Rescue workers slogged through frigid, knee-deep waters and found the bus's occupants cold but dry, safe and surprisingly cheerful, according to Dorsey. "I was so proud of them. The kids were very, very cool," Dorsey said. "They just sat on the bus and waited until someone came to get them off." The Henderson Rescue Unit brought a flat-bottomed boat out to assist in the rescue. Dorsey said the firefighters and other rescue workers walked the boat and the children 200 feet to dry land and had everyone off the bus by 8:15. "They never got their feet wet," he said. The bus was towed out soon after, and he couldn't find any damage to it later. Marion Kuykendall, National Weather Service Program Manager, said an upper-level disturbance and other fronts moving through the area are to blame for the soggy conditions. One front has stayed in the area for the past couple of days, he said, but conditions will clear up this afternoon. Conditions should stay partly cloudy through Sunday, but Kuykendall said the rain will be back Monday and stay until Thursday. The Department of Public Safety and the Longview Police Department reported no major weather-related traffic incidents Friday.

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http://www.news-register.net/news/story/0224202003_new001missing.asp

Wheeling Man Still Missing
By GABE WELLS

Wheeling. WV -- A Wheeling man remains missing and is presumed dead after an accident forced a car from Interstate 70 into Wheeling Creek Saturday night. A state police official today said no charges have been filed.
According to a release from the West Virginia State Police, at about 9:35 p.m. Saturday, a tractor-trailer operated by Russell Bowers, 56, of Athens, Ohio, collided with a 1992 Cadillac driven by Jennifer McFarland, 22, of Wheeling.The collision caused the Cadillac to leave the roadway on the bridge over Wheeling Creek. The Cadillac plunged 45 feet to the east bank of Wheeling Creek and slid into the creek, becoming submerged.McFarland was able to escape the vehicle and was rescued by Wheeling firefighters. A passenger of the car, Eric Norman, 30, also of Wheeling, has not been located. An initial search was performed Saturday night. On Sunday, a second search was conducted state troopers and Wheeling firefighters. Another search is planned when water recede.Senior Trooper James Kozik of the Moundsville post said this morning no charges have been filed. Kozik said Bowers contacted law enforcement after the accident to report the incident."I'm not saying there won't be, but there are no charges and the investigation continues," Kozik said. "He called us. He stopped at the truck stop. It was shortly after. He wasn't trying evade us." Wheeling Fire Chief Steve Johnston said today that Norman is presumed dead after the vehicle was partially pulled from the creek and no occupants were found. McFarland sustained minor injuries in the crash and was taken to Wheeling Hospital."We do know the car was heading east on I-70 and was struck from behind," Johnston said. "It fell down to the creek bed and rolled into the creek. It came to rest on its roof face down in the water."I'm going to have to say" that Norman is believed dead, Johnston said.Johnston said McFarland was found on top of the vehicle when rescue crews arrived at the scene. He said the rescue effort was made difficult because of ice moving along the creek. He said, once no one was located in the vehicle, rescue workers did not enter the water. "The creek was moving quickly and large sheets of ice were moving along. The car was unsteady and the crew was really at risk. She was pretty easy to remove - they just had to get her off the car. "It was deemed futile for them to get into the water," Johnston added. "We pulled the car partially out and found no one inside. They were already at risk and there was no sense in taking additional risks."State police are carrying out the remainder of the investigation. In addition to the Wheeling Fire Department, the U.S. National Guard also responded to the scene.The vehicle was removed by Ace Garage and Fleet Service.

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http://pagead.googlesyndication.com/search?output=cahtml&num=0&client=ca-knightridder&ca_format=120x600&ca_random=1046189957510&q=http%3A//www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/5255990.htm


Tue, Feb. 25, 2003

Rescuers battle currents, wind

Teams from across region respond to pull man, teen from water

KAREN CIMINO AND TONYA JAMESON
STAFF WRITERS

MCADENVILLE - Rescue worker Darren Ledford, 39, and two others formed a human triangle to break the current as they waded into swift, waist-high water toward two people trapped on a rock in the middle of the South Fork River Monday.
They moved quickly toward a 23-year-old man and 17-year-old girl. Water gushed past the rock they clung to after going over the Pharr Yarns spillway in two discount-store rafts about midafternoon.
"We were going to swim them to a nearby island and put them in the boat," said Ledford, a swift-water rescue instructor and paramedic with Gaston Emergency Medical Service. "But the current was too strong with the rocks and the girl being injured."
The girl, Laura Denton of Lowell, had a head injury and scrapes and bruises, authorities said.
This was the type of rescue Ledford trains others for, but it wasn't going to happen this time. They needed help.
Ledford, who was coordinating the rescue, determined it was too dangerous to try to move the two from the rock to a nearby island and called for a helicopter from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. In the meantime, he tried to calm Denton.
She told them she and friend Mike Atkins, also of Lowell, were trying to go upstream in separate rafts with her black terrier, but the dog got scared and jumped into the water. She reached for him and got too close to the dam. It sucked her over, knocking her out. Atkins, who was in a different raft, followed and caught her limp body, pulling her onto the rock.
Ledford and his team -- Sammy Willis, 42, and Ted Hendrix, 36, of Gaston Urban Search and Rescue -- were the first to their aid. They gave the victims helmets and life jackets.
"We just hooked up to the support and told them what to expect," Willis said. "They were cold, they were scared and they weren't real sure about the helicopter ride, especially the girl."
The three men held the victims tightly to prevent the wind from the rotor from blowing them off the rock. .
Above them, Eric Withers, 27, of the Charlotte Fire Department's Rescue 10 dangled from a helicopter.
Earlier Monday, Withers had watched the rescue efforts on TV. Then his station got the call to come with the helicopter. On the way to the South Fork, the five rescuers decided the Gaston County resident should be the one to drop down and pluck the victims from the rock.
As he flew over the swollen river, suspended from two 90-foot cables that can hold 9,000, Withers clicked his heels to signal to the pilot that they'd cleared power lines and trees as they headed toward the victims. A spotter in the helicopter signaled the pilot that Withers was clear. First, he took the girl because she was more badly injured. He hooked a cinch collar under her arms. As the rope pulls up, the cinch tightened and Withers wrapped his arms and legs around her body. Withers said sudden movements from a victim in a sling could result in a fall.
"They were frightened, so I was talking to them to get their mind off how high they were," he said. "I never asked them what happened because I didn't want them to think about the bad stuff."
Withers and his fire team had never done any training with a helicopter or swift water. The closest they'd done is scaling Charlotte skyscrapers to pluck people off the roof, he said.
This rescue involved water churning at a level that appeared equivalent to a Class III rapid -- difficult, large, irregular waves up to four feet .Withers credits the pilot, Phil Hollifield, a retired Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer, with most of the work. It was difficult landing him on the rock and Withers was dipped in the swollen river several times. It felt like taking a bath in ice water.
After he finished the rescues, Withers called his dad, chief of the Dallas Rescue Squad.
"He was happy I was back on the ground," Withers said.

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http://rdu.news14.com/shared/print/default.asp?ArID=24227

Two river rescues in two days

www.news14.com

2/25/2003
By: Tim Boyum & Web Staff

River rescues are nerve-racking but it can also be expensive in more ways than one. Beyond the Gaston County rescue, Chatham County has dealt with two rescues of its own in two days. For years emergency workers have tried to put a stop to these dangerous situations.“There are a lot of hazards you can see on this river,” kayaker Sarah Minis said. “There are lots of logs and trees just floating down when it floods.”That was the case Sunday when raging waters took control of a canoe. Eight hours later, rescue crews safely brought two men to shore. The very next night another rescue on the Haw River was happening at the same time as the rescue in Gaston County. A couple was canoeing when it capsized. It took nearly three hours for rescue workers to get them.A helicopter saved the couples’ lives in Gaston County, bringing about an expensive price tag.On the Haw River, the big cost is manpower with up to 50 volunteers per rescue.“First of all, it’s cold out here this time of year,” Emergency Operations Director Tony Tucker said. “The other night we were out there in 30 degree weather. I didn’t actually go in the water. It was a boat rescue although sometimes they have to go in the water for these rescues.”Nearly 10 years ago rescues were so frequent, county officials considered a hefty fine for those who needed rescues but commissioners voted against that idea.Tucker said, “It can happen to anyone. It’s always a risk when you go in the river but I think if somebody comes to rescue you, it’s not unreasonable to ask they be reimbursed.”Tucker believes that still won’t happen. Instead he asks people to stay off the Haw River when it rises to flood levels.Experts suggest you always check river levels before heading out in a canoe or kayak. They also said it’s best to go with someone who knows that particular river very well.

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http://ads.cimedia.com/RICH/GoToMyPC/GoToMyPC2.html

Friday, February 28

Laborer loses control of car, drowns

Larry Hobbs
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, February 28, 2003

WELLINGTON, FL -- A laborer with a learner's driving permit drowned Thursday morning after losing control of his car, veering across a high landscape berm and into a deep retention pond at the upscale Olympia community on Forest Hill Boulevard, sheriff's office officials said.
Wilner Alezi, 29, had no pulse when sheriff's office and fire-rescue divers pulled him from the pond nearly an hour after the 9:45 a.m. crash. He was pronounced dead at 11:47 a.m. at Wellington Regional Medical Center, officials said.
The Boynton Beach man was driving on Fatio Boulevard inside Olympia, heading from one work site to another, when the crash occurred, deputies said.
A witness who called 911 told deputies that Alezi's 1986 Toyota Corolla came to a curve in the road and continued straight over a curb.
Tire tracks at the scene indicate the car traveled about 150 feet at an angle up the grass embankment before coming down into the pond, which fronts Forest Hill Boulevard on the west side of the elaborate entrance to Olympia.
Afterward, at least five construction workers at Olympia dived into the pond in a desperate rescue attempt, unaware at the time that the victim was one of their own.
"We just jumped where the bubbles were, but we couldn't find anything," said Justin Maurice, his jeans still soaked. "It was too deep."
"One guy found a tailpipe, but by then he was out of air," added Victor Rogalny, who also dived in.
As construction workers looked on, divers pulled Alezi's body to the surface about 10:40 a.m. "That's a worker," said one man. "Look at his work boots."
A man identified as a relative of Alezi's had to be escorted from the scene, overcome with grief. Alezi lived at 131 N.E. Sixth Ave.

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http://www.dailytimesonline.com/news/stories/20030225/localnews/1052876.html

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003

Ocean City to install water rescue lifesaving boxes

Paramedic wins approval for devices at lagoon where boy died in ice tragedy

By Anita Ferguson
Daily Times Staff Writer

OCEAN CITY -- Spurred by the death of an 8-year-old boy who fell through thin ice, a resort paramedic has won approval to install lifesaving devices at the park where the tragedy occurred. Paramedic Larry Sackadorf was among some 50 emergency workers who responded to Northside Park at 125th Street on the evening of Jan. 19. Sam Wilkinson, 8, of Berlin, and Nicholas McLoota, 10, of Ocean City, fell through ice on the pond. McLoota was trying to help Wilkinson, who had run onto the ice to retrieve a lacrosse ball, police said. McLoota survived after he was quickly rescued by paramedics. Using an inflatable raft, rescuers poked the icy water with long poles as divers searched the lagoon, while firefighters maneuvered an engine ladder over the narrow pond as they searched with a thermal scanner for Wilkinson. It took emergency workers more than an hour to find the boy. Shortly after the event, Sackadorf said he was immediately approached about reviving the dive team, which he once commanded. But he said he preferred to take a proactive rather than reactive approach. "I wanted something that would hopefully make a difference in the future," he said. "The day after Sammy's funeral I was at my part-time job in Delmar and got dispatched for a subject falling through the ice. Listening to dead space on the radio, I thought there has got to be something we could do." Sackadorf recalled seeing steel boxes containing lifesaving rings outside the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. He took the idea to town officials, then to Haines Construction, which donated labor and materials to build a prototype. Dubbed a "Sam Box," the container is a steel cabinet that houses a 25-inch lifesaving ring and a float rope, Sackadorf said. The box is equipped with a siren and strobe light, which will trigger when the box is opened, similar to a fire alarm. A radio system inside the box will automatically alert emergency workers to respond to the site. Each box costs about $3,000 to construct, Sackadorf said. Welder Brett Roderick of Haines Construction said it took about 23 hours to complete the prototype, working from photographs of similar lifesaving boxes, but it was well worth the effort. "I'm used to doing commercial work. This is something that's for a worthwhile cause," Roderick said. Sackadorf said he received preliminary approval on Valentine's Day -- Wilkinson's birthday -- from town officials, including Mayor Jim Mathias, to install two boxes on the north and south side of the lagoon at Northside Park. "One of Ocean City's most valuable strengths is its common sense," Mathias said. "This appears to be a common-sense approach to making our community safer. Our goal is to make sure that Sam is remembered and his loss is not in vain, and this will enable that to happen." Sackadorf will present the prototype to the Town Council at 1 p.m. today at Town Hall on Third Street.

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http://www.click10.com/mia/news/stories/news-202260620030306-060308.html

Witnesses Come To Rescue As Car Plunges In Canal

March 6, 2003

MIRAMAR, Fla. -- Police say an elderly woman who was behind the wheel when her car plunged into a Miramar canal is doing fine this morning thanks to witnesses who jumped in to save her. The car (pictured) ran off the road near Miramar Parkway and University Drive Wednesday. Miramar fire rescue says the woman simply lost control of the car. When it hit the water, David Rosol and others came to the rescue. "You know she was just really disoriented ... She's a pretty old lady. She was just, she looked real confused you know, and she could not have helped herself. I'm just glad somebody, we were there, to help her out of there. You know she's in good shape," said Rosol. As a precaution the woman was taken to Memorial West Hospital, but she is just fine.

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http://www.jsonline.com/news/ozwash/mar03/124643.asp

Rescue dive team approved
Washington County to train 8 sheriff's deputies

By DON BEHM
dbehm@journalsentinel.com

March 11, 2003

West Bend, WI - Washington County's first underwater rescue team could be fully prepared to respond to emergencies by early summer now that the County Board has approved the program, Sheriff Jack Theusch said.
On a 27-3 vote Tuesday, the board approved spending $45,000 this year from a contingency fund to equip and train eight sheriff's deputies for the proposed countywide dive team.
The vote was greeted with applause from more than 50 county residents. Among them were Sharon and Donald Mann of Trenton, whose 21-year-old son, Michael, drowned Jan. 21 in Big Cedar Lake. He was a passenger on a snowmobile that plunged into open water.
A Waukesha County dive rescue team called for assistance didn't arrive for three hours.
"A dive team was sorely lacking for some time," Theusch said Tuesday after the vote. "It's a responsibility of a sheriff's department, and it's something we needed."
Washington County has more lakes than other county in southeastern Wisconsin but has been the only county in the region without a dive team.
"The sheriff has the responsibility to rescue, and to recover bodies, in county waters," County Supervisor John German of Addison said in explaining his support for the measure.
Theusch estimates that it will cost $33,727 to purchase suits, masks, oxygen tanks, lights and other equipment for the eight-member squad. Training would cost an additional $5,240 this year. Any remaining money might be spent on an inflatable raft for winter rescues on ice-covered lakes.
Municipal fire departments will be encouraged to commit two or more divers to the team, and they would be trained alongside deputies, Theusch said. The municipal divers would be the first to respond to water emergencies within or close to their community, and the Sheriff's Department would send its divers as a backup, or support, unit.
Six municipal fire departments already have indicated they might participate in the countywide program, Theusch said. The six are: the Cities of Hartford and West Bend; Villages of Germantown, Jackson and Kewaskum; and the Town of Richfield. The Boltonville Volunteer Fire Department in the Town of Farmington also has said that it would commit divers to the program.
Family to help raise money

On Tuesday, Sharon Mann announced that her family and friends would help raise money to pay for equipping and training municipal divers. An account, the Michael J. Mann Memorial Fund, has been established at U.S. Bank in West Bend to receive donations, she said.
"We'll not stop until all communities that want to train divers have the equipment they need to save lives," Sharon Mann said.
Supervisor Donald Berchem of West Bend attempted to delay Tuesday's vote on the dive team by returning the proposal to the Public Safety Committee for revisions.
"I have a real problem on how the County Board can vote on this with no plan for continuing costs and no plan on the participation of local fire departments," Berchem said. "Is this the beginning of some proliferation of costs? Will this lead to the purchase of additional equipment, such as a hovercraft?"
Berchem's motion failed on a voice vote.
Supervisors Berchem, James Spindler of Germantown and John Stern of the Town of West Bend cast the three votes against the plan.
Several other supervisors suggested that the county or the state could do more to protect people on frozen lakes and streams.
Supervisor Donald Roskopf of Germantown suggested that the county should require life vests in all vehicles driven on ice.
Supervisor David Radermacher, however, said that such regulations should be the responsibility of the state Department of Natural Resources.
"I believe the state DNR has failed us," Radermacher said. "When water freezes, there are no safety requirements. The DNR needs to get involved in this, and the DNR needs to set regulations to prevent this from happening in the future."
The sheriff's request in fall for $8,800 to purchase a limited amount of diving equipment was turned down by the Public Safety Committee at that time, but Theusch renewed his push for creating a county dive team after Mann's drowning in January.

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http://www.news-journalonline.com

Bystanders can’t save woman who crashed into canal

By JAY STAPLETON
Staff Writer
Mar 13, 01:21 AM

SOUTH DAYTONA , FL -- A 58-year-old woman died Wednesday despite rescuers'
struggles to free her from a partly submerged pickup that crashed and rolled
on its side into the canal dividing Nova Road. Workers from a drainage
project near the intersection of Big Tree Road tried using chains and a
front-end loader to pull the smashed truck from the canal, while others
wrestled desperately in the murky water to roll the vehicle and free the
pinned driver, witnesses said. "I got a hold of her hand and it felt like she
held on," said construction worker Kevin Stodola of Sanford. Hope turned to
heartbreak when Gail Henderson of Ormond Beach was pronounced dead in the
emergency room at Halifax Medical Center. Stodola was one of 10 people
including bystanders and EVAC ambulance paramedics who jumped into the
belly-high water to free Henderson before police and firefighters arrived.
They were able to roll the truck onto its wheels but had trouble getting the
driver out. Henderson was in cardiac arrest when she was pulled from the
water-filled truck by police, firefighters and bystanders after about five
minutes, officials said. "It was definitely a team effort," said Mark
O'Keefe, an EVAC ambulance spokesman. John Dasso of Daytona Beach Shores held
the trapped woman's head above water, trying to save her life. "I tried to
get her out but she was lodged," Dasso said. "There was no way you could pull
her out." Henderson was pinned after her full-size pickup broke through the
guardrail and rolled on its driver's side at 3:17 p.m., just south of the
intersection. Police said she was the only occupant in what appeared to be a
single-vehicle crash. South Daytona police said they were investigating what
caused the vehicle, traveling south on Nova Road, to dart through the
intersection, jump a curb, smash through a guard rail and plummet 15 feet
into the canal. There were no skid marks left in the road, investigators
said. Dasso and other rescuers suffered minor cuts and scratches but refused
medical attention. The men said they jumped into the water hoping they could
rescue the woman before police and firefighters got there. "I didn't think
there was time," Dasso said.