Wharton police rescue 86-year-old man after he drives car into canal
Police said the driver entered the canal while attempting to make a U-turn in the dark, mistakenly believing the surface ahead was pavement.
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A dramatic rescue unfolded in Wharton after an 86-year-old man accidentally drove his car into a canal during heavy rain Friday night.
Police said the driver entered the canal while attempting to make a U-turn in the dark, mistakenly believing the surface ahead was pavement.
Lt. Michael Arroyo and Officer Michael Flora were already nearby, and Arroyo said the pair arrived in no more than two minutes.
A good Samaritan informed them that the driver was still trapped in the car.
“There was water in the cabin," Arroyo said. "I went in. I smashed the window. The power locks and the power windows weren’t working due to the vehicle being submerged, so we extracted him through the driver’s side window."
Officer Matthew Acevedo arrived on the scene moments later.
“I see my lieutenant literally floating, trying to talk to him, trying to escort him out," Acevedo said. "Obviously, it’s not something that we see every day where somebody’s submerged in water. We’re trying to figure out how to get him out, which way to get him out."
While the water near the edge of the canal is only a few feet deep, it slopes significantly toward the middle.
“The gentleman got lucky," Arroyo said. "If he went in slower and nose first, he could’ve been completely submerged. He went in, he hit the gas, so he was able to come up a little bit."
At its deepest point, police said the canal is about 8 feet, enough to fully submerge a vehicle.
"He was on his knees. The water was up to the steering wheel, but he had enough room to breathe,” Arroyo said of the rescue.
The officers were able to bring the man safely to dry land, and he was not injured.
Local officials, however, said they are already discussing ways to prevent similar incidents in the future, including the possibility of placing rocks or barriers along the canal’s edge.
