A Florida woman was pulled from a swimming pool after driving her SUV into the water, according to WFLA.
Lakeland Police got a call around 7:45 a.m. Wednesday (August 10) about a crash at Sand Piper Golf and Country Club on Grouse Drive. Footage from a chopper shows the white vehicle mostly submerged in the water while onlookers surrounded a damaged part of the gate.
A brave resident jumped into action to save the driver. Maurice Dionne told reporters rushed over to the pool after hearing a crash from his pool.
Dionne, who says he's a former Coast Guard member, hopped into the water as the woman's vehicle started getting flooded. Her seatbelt was still on.
“She was getting nervous and I said, ‘Calm down now. We can take care of this. Stay calm,'” he recalls. Another neighbor came over and assisted Dionne in the rescue. They ended up pulling her through the SUV's open window and out of the pool. Despite his actions, Dionne doesn't consider himself a hero.
“No, of course not,” he says. “Any person would do that to help someone in trouble like that.”
Authorities say the driver mistook the gas pedal for her brake, went over the curb, crashed through the gate and plunged into the pool.
She's expected to be okay. Nobody was inside the pool at the time.