Two Florida teenagers are being hailed as heroes after rescuing a driver whose truck crashed into a canal in North Lauderdale on Wednesday night. Tony Cooper and his friend were at a nearby restaurant when they noticed the vehicle lose control and submerge into the water.
Acting swiftly, the teens ran to the scene, removed their shoes, and jumped into the canal to assist the driver. “We rushed and took off our shoes and stuff,” Cooper told WSVN. “We literally jumped on the hood and then we took off the seat belt and then we pulled them out.”
Cooper described the driver as being heavy and initially unresponsive. “I started screaming at him because he was heavy while he was in the car. We screaming, he woke up, we helped him get out of the car and after that, he was on the hood and then we pulled him onto the grass,” he recounted.
After the driver was pulled from the submerged truck, paramedics transported him to the hospital. While details of his current condition remain unspecified, he was reported to be conscious at the time of transport.
Witness Dorothy Borgelin recalled hearing a loud crash and observing the aftermath. “Sure enough, I saw there was a car–a pickup truck–that was going under the water,” she told WSVN. “Then there were two kids, they were on the other side, and then they just jumped into the water. They did an amazing job to save the man’s life.”
Local authorities and the community have praised the courage and quick action of the young heroes. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
