A truck plunged into a canal in Sunrise on Thursday after apparently crashing through a wall near West Oakland Park Boulevard and Northwest 94th Avenue, sending a person to the hospital. Sunrise Fire Rescue officials said two Sunrise Fire Rescue battalion chiefs entered the water and pulled a man from the truck before the dive team arrived; fire rescue crews took him to a hospital. Officials have not said what caused the crash.
The vehicle involved was identified as a truck that went into the water after apparently crashing through a wall near the intersection, according to Local 10 News. Aerial footage from Sky 10 showed the truck fully submerged and surrounded by police tape. Local 10 reported that divers were at the scene. Separately, NBC 6 South Florida reported that Chopper6 video captured a diver emerging from the canal as first responders gathered along the embankment, with fire trucks and police tape blocking a nearby road.
Rescue Unfolds Near a New Emergency Department
Two Sunrise Fire Rescue battalion chiefs entered the water and pulled a man from the truck before the dive team arrived, according to NBC 6. Fire rescue crews transported him to a hospital, and officials have not disclosed what may have caused the crash. The station described the incident as a developing story.
The crash site sits close to a free-standing emergency department Broward Health opened in mid-2026 near Oakland Park Boulevard and Northwest 94th Avenue, featuring 15 exam rooms and a designated trauma room built in partnership with Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, according to the Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report. The facility was established to expand adult and pediatric emergency care across central Broward.
Why Seconds Matter in a Sinking Vehicle
Escaping a Submerged Vehicle A canal plunge can turn fatal without rapid extrication.
Canals and retention ponds are part of the landscape around South Florida roadways, including corridors like Oakland Park Boulevard.
A Bill Proposed Barriers Near Dangerous Bodies of Water
A 2016 bill known as Chloe's Law cleared its first House committee and proposed requiring transportation departments to install barriers near bodies of water identified as dangerous or associated with prior roadway deaths, according to the Broward Injury Lawyer Blog. The measure is named for a 21-year-old student who drowned after her car entered an unguarded pond.
A Recurring Pattern of Canal Crashes
A Recurring Pattern of Canal Crashes Thursday's crash adds to a string of similar incidents across central Broward. In April, a vehicle fleeing Sunrise police plunged into a canal along Loxahatchee Road in Parkland, killing two occupants after the Broward Sheriff's Office dive team recovered the submerged car.
The man was in critical condition, and officials had not released his identity as of Thursday. The investigation remains active.
