An 88-year-old woman died after she drove her car into a canal in Sunrise despite rescue attempts by neighbors and emergency responders, according to police.
It happened around 6:22 p.m. Wednesday at 3730 North Pine Island Road, Sunrise police said.
An initial investigation revealed that the woman, whose identity is not known by authorities, had accidentally driven over the central parking block into the canal.
The camera on a neighbor's doorbell captured the moments after the silver Toyota sedan plunged into the water.
Ovidio Romero said he had no choice but to step in.
“You could see everything, only the tires were sunken. I wanted to get in, but when I called [911] and there was no one on the phone to help me – until I hung up and got in. I was close when she rolled down her window and went under,” said Ovidio Romero. “When she saw me go in to help her, she rolled down her window, it filled with water and went under.”
Police said attempts by police officers, firefighters and civilians who jumped into the canal to reach the woman were unsuccessful.
It was the Sunrise Dive Team that eventually pulled the woman from the water and took her to West Side Regional Hospital.
According to police, she was pronounced dead there.
Neighbors said the victim was an elderly woman who had health problems and difficulty parking. They said she remained underwater for several minutes.
“She rolled down the window and said, 'Help me, help me,'” said neighbor Sorisbeth Sibada.
“You could see her all the time, but sometimes she had trouble getting into the car,” Romero said.
Hours later, her Toyota was pulled out of the canal. It appeared to be badly damaged, including all of the windows being broken.
