A driver was taken to the hospital after her vehicle ended up submerged in Lake St. Clair at St. Clair Shores, thanks to the timely actions of bystanders, including a 15-year-old. The incident occurred near Lakefront Park, close to Lakeshore Drive and 9 Mile Road yesterday afternoon, as WWJ Newsradio reported.
The unidentified woman, believed to have been experiencing some form of mental distress, drove her car over grass and avoided several trees before plunging into the lake. A man, who sought no recognition, along with 15-year-old John Agnello, were among the first to assist the woman. "I walked out there and seen a lady in the car, so I quickly jumped in and we noticed she was struggling to get out and she wasn’t coherent," the man told ClickOnDetroit. They managed to extract the woman from the vehicle, initially fearing others might be trapped inside due to her disoriented state, yet fortunately, she was alone in the car.
Young Agnello, who was fishing at the time, heard the commotion and raced to the scene where he aided the rescue efforts. “I’m just fishing, know what I mean? Nothing crazy. (Then) I hear a loud noise," Agnello recounted to FOX 2 Detroit. During the rescue, he broke the car's window to gain access, sustaining cuts which were later bandaged. The U.S. Coast Guard and the local police confirmed that the submerged car was pulled from the waters by a tow truck, and the driver was hospitalized for evaluation.
While the woman's condition following the event is as yet unreported, the collective quick thinking of the bystanders undoubtedly changed the trajectory of the day. Agnello's family expressed immense pride in his brave conduct, with his aunt, Stacey Agnello, saying, "We couldn’t be more proud. And when I heard today, I was working from home and cried – like I was just so proud of him," hinting at a potential future as a first responder. The St. Clair Shores traffic bureau is currently investigating the specifics of the crash.
