BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Some selfless bystanders didn't hesitate to put their lives at risk to save a driver who crashed his vehicle into the water this past weekend in Florida, deputies said.
According to a Facebook post by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, their communications center received multiple 911 calls Saturday morning regarding a vehicle that hit the center median on the Pineda Causeway. The vehicle then crashed through a guardrail and ultimately landed in the water.
While deputies rushed to the scene, Sheriff Wayne Ivey said "several amazing and selfless citizens jumped into action even before they could arrive!!"
When Deputy Bradley McLaughlin arrived at the scene, he also jumped into the water to help rescue the driver, Ivey said in the post.
As the deputy worked his way to the area, he saw two residents, Ariana Ebert and Don Cobb, who were holding the driver's head above water.
"Partially out of the vehicle ... the driver was trapped on something inside the car, preventing them from being able to pull him out," Ivey said. "As the car continued to sink they did what they could to keep his head above the water and attempted to provide life-saving measures."
Another deputy also arrived and entered the water, and the driver was finally pulled from the sinking vehicle.
The sheriff's office said the driver was taken to a hospital where he remains in the intensive care unit.
"There are not enough words on days like today that explain the immense emotions one feels about just how great this community is!!" Ivey said. "Our Deputies are trained to jump into action in emergency situations, and we would never ask citizens to put their own lives at risk, but to see them selflessly try to save someone in a truly scary situation, shows the kind of people that make up Brevard County!!"
The sheriff's office has not said what caused the vehicle to plunge off the causeway and into the water.
