Rowers Rescue 61-Year-Old Woman After Car Plunges Into Schuylkill River
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A group of rowers and their coach are being hailed as heroes after they rescued a woman who was submerged in her car in the Schuylkill River on Tuesday evening.
It happened around 5:30 p.m. when police say a 61-year-old woman left the roadway and crashed into the Schuylkill River near the 2300 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
"She was approximately 20 yards into the river and there was about a foot sticking out of the roof of the vehicle," said authorities at the scene.
That's when two rowers and a coach from the Penn Athletic Club Rowing Association housed on Boathouse Row noticed the car in the water.
"One of the three on that boat jumped in. One of the rowers jumped in and saw a female in the driver's side of the vehicle. [They] attempted to get her out, was unable to, came back up, went back down and was able to open the door and get her out and take her to a pad site where they started CPR," said Lt. John Walker, with the Philadelphia Police Department.
Once paramedics arrived on the scene they were able to revive the woman.
Police say that the vehicle entered the water in reverse and was either in or traveled through parking lot area that separates the water from Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
"We have some concerns about the driver of the vehicle as to what the intentions were here or actually what happened here," Walker said.
It's unclear how long the woman was in the water or how long she would have been if it wasn't for the passing rowers and their coach.
"We are thankful to these rowers who heroically went into the water, rescued this individual and got them out of the water got them to safety," Walker said. "[They] did all the right things you should do as a citizen of this city."
The woman is in stable condition.
Police are continuing their investigation.