CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral Police say a woman died after crashing her car into a canal off Burnt Store Road Wednesday night. You could still see the guardrails smashed on the side of the road and one tipping over the edge of the seawall on Thursday morning.
Fox 4’s Austin Schargorodski talked with a neighbor who rushed to help and recorded part of the rescue attempt by police.
Watch the rescue video the neighbor captured:
"Get AED and whatever else you can ready, we got a body in here!" an officer is heard shouting in the video.
In the video, you can see officers in the water, working to reach the driver of the submerged car.
“We gotta get in there!” another officer is heard yelling.
Barry Seagrave shot the video. He lives nearby and says he was watching the Dodgers game on his lanai when suddenly, he heard a startling sound.
“I heard like three bang. Bang. Bang!” he said.
So, Seagrave said he rushed to the canal to see what happened. He said the first officer on scene didn’t hesitate to jump in.
“The first police officer couldn’t find the car. But me and another guy had lights so we shined them on the car and guided him to it,” said Seagrave.
Police say the crash happened around 10:30 p.m. They say two vehicles collided, and one ended up in the canal. A Cape Coral police spokesperson said officers and members of the dive team went into the water and pulled the driver out, but she was later pronounced dead.
Seagrave told Schargorodski this isn’t the first time he’s seen a bad crash around here.
“I’ve been here 15 years so I’ve seen them build this road. And I’ve seen many accidents down here at Tropicana,” said Seagrave.
Police say the other vehicle’s passengers had minor injuries. They say three officers involved in the rescue also suffered minor injuries. Detectives say they’re still looking into what caused the crash, including whether impairment was a factor.
While Barry never knew the woman, he says his heart is with her and her family.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” said Seagrave.
