On Wednesday afternoon at Marimac Lake in Senoia, a car plunged into the water, leading to an urgent rescue for the trapped driver. According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, bystanders and first responders coordinated their efforts to extricate the man from his submerged 2017 red Honda CR-V, which had veered off the road.
The incident was first reported when the vehicle was completely underwater. FOX 5 Atlanta shared police body cam footage that recorded the urgent rescue operation, featuring bystanders including a retired Decatur firefighter, Jeff Lander, who joined another individual already swimming towards the SUV. "I looked out at the middle of the lake, and I saw what looked like tops of tires and I thought that’s not good. I then went and asked if anyone was inside and they said yes." Lander told.
Senoia Police Department and Coweta Fire were on site quickly, coordinating with the good Samaritans to extract the driver. Lander, taking lifesaving into his own hands, performed CPR on the 34-year-old Senoia man, who remained in critical condition at Piedmont Newnan Hospital. Capt. Jason Ercole of Senoia Police expressed in the FOX 5 Atlanta interview, "It really tugs at your heart strings to see that. I could not be more proud of our community, and our department and the fire department."
A witness had told police they had been following the car for several miles with no signs of irregularity prior to the harrowing turn of events. The authorities are investigating potential vehicle malfunction or a medical emergency as the lead causes. Chief Jason Edens commended the heroic actions of the good Samaritans who stopped to render aid. Anyone with further information about the crash is encouraged to contact Senoia Police with their findings.
