A Florida man’s morning kayaking trip turned into a rescue mission when he found a woman who had been trapped overnight in a vehicle partially submerged in water.
The man was out for a paddle at Higel Marine Park in Venice on Thursday morning when he saw the Sarasota woman, 81, waving him down from inside her partially submerged hatchback, according to a Venice Police Department employee.
With the help of a paddleboarder nearby, the man was able to free the woman through the vehicle’s passenger-side window, which was open. The inside of the car had been filled with water up to its dashboard.
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Police and emergency responders arrived later on the scene and transported the woman to the hospital. She was the only person in the vehicle.
The woman said she had been trapped in the vehicle since approximately 10 p.m. on Wednesday night, according to a Facebook post by the police department.
The vehicle entered the water when the woman made a wrong turn and hit the Higel Boat Ramp, according to a Venice Police Department employee. She attempted to brake, but the ramp was slick from moss and algae.
The woman is in stable condition, according to the Facebook post.
“We are pleased to see a happy ending to such a potentially tragic situation,” the post read.