Woman Rescued From Deep Ditch Filled With Water

A woman’s desperate call for help after she became trapped in her sinking vehicle that went into a water-filled ditch ended in her rescue.

In a story which appeared on the CBS local station in Miami’s website, the Florida Highway Patrol reported that 33-year-old Amanda Antonio had been traveling eastbound on Interstate 4, just after the U.S. 301 exit when another vehicle cut her off. As a result, Antonio lost control of her 2008 Toyota Scion. The SUV veered off of the roadway, overturning in a deep ditch which was filled with water.

911 dispatch received an urgent call for help from Antonio at approximately 3:48 a.m. She was trapped within her vehicle, and the water had quickly risen from her chest and had quickly risen to her neck.

Emergency crews rushed to Antonio’s location, navigating with considerable difficulty through thick fog as they tried to find her location. It was a Sheriff’s Deputy who spotted the rear end of her SUV which was in the thick, mud-laden water that was waist deep.

Two deputies guided Antonio to an air pocket in the vehicle until divers with air tanks could arrive and free her from the wreckage of her vehicle and from drowning in the mud.

Rescuers were finally able to free Antonio from her car out of a passenger door. In spite of nearly drowning, she suffered only minor injuries. Authorities say that Antonio had been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Investigators say that alcohol played no role in the accident.