Nov. 02--A woman was rescued from her white Dodge van into a creek under U.S. Highway 59 South on Wednesday.
The Victoria woman's white Chrysler Town and Country van was over half submerged in water under the bridge at about 12:45 p.m.
Deputies, troopers and firefighters freed Anna Kupfernagel, 76, from the van and put her in a helicopter for transport to Christus Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi. Kupfernagel was having difficulty breathing.
Kupfernagel was traveling south in the far right lane of U.S. Highway 59 South when a person in the left lane of highway saw her cross in front of him and across the two north bound lanes before going off the bridge and into the river, said Department of Public Safety Trooper James Vinson.
The witness saw nothing wrong with the tires or the rest of the car and saw no change in speed as Kupfernagel crossed the highway and drove down the river bank, Vinson said.
Two people heading back to work for the afternoon saw the Kupfernagel in the river and stopped to help, Vinson said.
Victoria Sheriff T. Michael O'Connor called the people "the heroes of the day," as they kept Kupfernagel calm and stable and held her head above water until emergency service personnel arrived on scene.
Kupfernagel was reported in critically stable condition at about 3 p.m., Vinson said.
The cause of Kupfernagel loosing control of her vehicle and going off the bridge was not known at this time, Vinson said.
Her vehicle will be removed from the river and towed, he added.
