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Watch: Bystanders pull driver from car that plunged into lake

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Published  October 17, 2024 6:29pm EDT
Fayette County
FOX 5 Atlanta

Dramatic rescue: Driver pulled from car in lake

Bystanders sprang into action to help save the life of a driver whose car plunged into a lake in Senoia.

The Brief

    • Retired firefighter Jeff Lander and another motorist heroically swam to rescue a man trapped in a submerged SUV in Marimac Lake, Senoia.
    • Senoia Police Department's body cam footage captured the dramatic rescue effort, showing the car upside down in the lake.
    • Bystanders and first responders managed to open the SUV's door in deep water; Lander performed CPR on the rescued driver.
    • The driver remains in critical condition at the hospital as investigations continue into the cause of the accident.
    • Senoia police are seeking information on whether a medical episode or vehicle malfunction led to the car's plunge into the lake.

SENOIA, Ga. - FOX 5 has police body cam video of the dramatic rescue of a motorist whose car had plunged into a lake in Senoia, trapping him inside it in deep water. One of the other motorists who swam out to help save the man are also speaking for the first time.  

It happened on Wednesday at Marimac Lake in Senoia. Retired Decatur firefighter Jeff Lander was driving by when he saw a commotion on the banks and stopped.  

"I looked out at the middle of the lake, and I saw what looked like tops of tires and I thought that’s not good. I then went and asked if anyone was inside and they said yes," he said.  

Lander says another man was already swimming toward the SUV, so he dropped his phone and waded in too.  

The scene to Lander must have looked similar to the Senoia Police video released to FOX 5. An arriving officer’s body camera captured video of the car upside down in the lake with bystanders like Lander attempting to rescue the man inside.   

"We managed to get a door open and in no time, Senoia Police Department and Coweta Fire were on the scene. They came out and we all worked great together," Lander said.  

He said first responders had to pull the SUV into shallow water to get the driver out. Lander says he performed CPR on the man and wants his family to know that they are all pulling for him.  

"I tried my best, and hopefully he’s going to be OK," Lander said. 

The community is grateful to everyone who went into the lake.  

"It really tugs at your heart strings to see that. I could not be more proud of our community, and our department and the fire department" said Capt. Jason Ercole of Senoia Police  

Now, the focus is on the investigation. What went wrong for this driver? More than 24 hours later, it's still a mystery.  

"We are looking into whether this was a medical episode, some kind of medical emergency or vehicle malfunction. However, our officers did a vehicle inspection today, and we didn’t find any obvious defects that might have contributed to this," said Capt. Ercole.  

The last word that police had was that the driver was still in critical condition at the hospital and on life support.  

They are also encouraging anyone who knows what happened or the driver’s work colleagues to reach out to them as they continue to investigate what caused this driver to veer toward the lake and, according to witnesses, accelerate toward the water. 

The Source

  • The Senoia Police Department and Coweta Fire Department contributed to this FOX 5 Atlanta original report.