MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Deputies in Martin County are being hailed for their heroic rescue of two people whose vehicle crashed into a water-filled embankment Friday night.
It happened on State Road 714 near the Indiantown-Okeechobee line.
According to a Facebook post by the sheriff's office, the victims' vehicle was struck by another car while traveling eastbound on Martin Highway.
WATCH THE RESCUE BELOW:
The collision forced their vehicle off the road and into the deep embankment, where it became partially submerged with both occupants trapped inside.
“The vehicle moved into their lane, hit the rear of their car, rotated them and put them off into that canal,” said Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.
Residents said the drive can be a dangerous one since Martin Highway cuts through a rural area with no lights.
“I live right down there and it’s terrifying to drive at night,” resident Kathy Jensen said.
“People do speed, you do have to drive carefully, it's a very skinny narrow road,” said Dominick Candrilli.
The sheriff's office said the crash victims were able to call 911, but the connection was lost before they could give their exact location.
WATCH BELOW: WPTV's Cassandra Garcia talks with locals about the safety of Martin Highway
With guidance from dispatch, the sheriff's office said Deputies Matt Fritchie and Juan Pepper-Orelliana were directed to the general area.
However, the victims' vehicle was not visible from the roadway along the long, dark stretch of Martin Highway.
The sheriff's office said Fritchie rolled down his window and relied on the sound of a car horn coming from the deep embankment to guide them to the crash site.
“Our deputies were able to hone in on that, get to the location where the vehicle left the road and of course they did what deputies do, they immediately launched into action,” Budensiek said.
“It’s surprising that they were even able to find them, I mean it looked like they were quite far into the woods,” added Martin County resident, Alex Lochiatto.
Both victims were taken to the hospital with injuries and later released.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said they are working to locate the vehicle that struck the victims and left the scene. Investigators believe the vehicle that left the scene is a white work truck with fresh damage and possible remnants of blue paint from the other car.
"In times of such crisis, we have warriors. Between our incredible dispatchers and our determined deputies, this became a clear case of our warriors working quickly and risking their own lives to save others," the sheriff's office Facebook post said.
