A Florida couple were heard pleading for help as their vehicle sank into a canal in the dead of night.
The unidentified husband and wife had been traveling on Route 714 at around 10.30pm on Friday in a remote section of Northwest Martin County, when officials say they were struck by another vehicle.
The impact of the crash forced the couple’s car to careen off the road – and they landed upside down in a canal while the other vehicle fled the scene.
Fortunately, the woman was able to reach her phone and call the Martin County Sheriff’s Office for help.
‘Please! We need you,’ she could be heard telling a dispatcher in harrowing audio released Tuesday afternoon.
The woman then went on to explain the situation to the dispatcher, who ultimately asks if the car is sinking.
‘Yes!’ the woman frantically responded, as she seemed to tear up. ‘That’s what it feels like. The car is sinking, sir.’
When the dispatcher then asked how high the water was, she says it is ‘up to my stomach.
‘We don’t know how much time we have!’ she pleads, noting that the power in their car was out and they could not open the doors or windows.
An unidentified woman frantically called Florida sheriff’s deputies to report that she and her husband were trapped in a vehicle sinking into a canal Friday night
Deputies with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office raced to the scene to try to track the vehicle, which became difficult due to the darkness of the night
At that point, the dispatcher asks how far in the water they are – to which the woman replies: ‘We’re deep in the water.’
‘And there’s no way to get that window down?’ the dispatcher presses.
‘No,’ the woman replies, seeming to cry as she spoke. ‘We tried everything! We’re scared!’
After about 10 minutes, the call dropped without the couple able to provide exactly where in the canal they were located.
When deputies then rushed to the scene, they initially struggled to locate the victims due to the darkness of the night and the submerged car being off the road, officials said.
But when the officers rolled down their window, they were able to hear a car horn sounding off in the distance.
Police body camera footage then showed the deputies making their way through nearly waist-deep water, cutting their way through vines, as the car horn blared in the distance.
When they ultimately reached the vehicle, brave officers busted open the car’s windows and were able to pull the couple to safety.
When the deputies ultimately reached the vehicle, they busted the windows to the car and pulled the husband and wife to safety
‘In times of such crisis, we have warriors,’ the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.
‘Between our incredible dispatchers and our determined deputies, this became a clear case of our warriors working quickly and risking their own lives to save others.’
Both victims were injured, but are expected to fully recover from their wounds.
In the meantime, deputies are continuing to search for the other vehicle involved in the crash.
