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Woman rescued from sinking car in Indian Harbour Beach

Posted at 2:00 PM, Oct 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-10-06 14:16:37-04

It was a life or death moment and a group of good Samaritans at the Eau Gallie Yacht Club answered the call and worked together to save a Florida woman. 

"And I just remember her hair in my hands and pushing off the car and she's in the water and then the car was gone," one rescuer said.

The 61-year-old woman inside drove off the boat ramp Sunday night. 

Indian Harbour Beach Police say that she mistook a turn for the road home. 

It was dark and the rain was relentless.

Christopher Morales dove into the water when he saw the car sinking, but when he couldn't get her out he new he needed to go back to the clubhouse. "I told the lady that she was going to die if I didn't leave and get something to smash the window and she kept pleading and begging for me not to go."

All the windows were rolled up but more employees were coming to the rescue with a tire iron in hand.

"The car was filling really fast.  She kept screaming at me and I told her to stop screaming because I was going to panic if she didn't stop.  I said I promise to if you stop screaming," a good Samaritan said.

"I was on top of the trunk of the car and I started sinking even faster and I just grabbed the lady's arm and we were all grabbing her and eventually she just popped out of the car as soon as the car went under," a man named Robert said.

Both Robert and another woman have a few cuts from the glass but overall are just relieved the woman survived. 

"I'm proud of my co-workers and I'm glad she's alive," Morales said.