Body camera video has been released showing the dramatic rescue of a woman from a sinking car in a Pompano Beach canal in May.<\/p>\n
Two Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies and off-duty Fort Lauderdale Fire Captain Keith Costa were the first responders on scene, diving into the canal to help the trapped woman.<\/p>\n
“Our whole reason for getting into this job is to help people and save lives; this is just an incident where I was in the right place at the right time,” Costa said.<\/p>\n
Costa explained there was not much time before the car went completely underwater, so the first responders broke a window to get her out. One deputy cut their hand in the process.<\/p>\n
“In that situation, we didn’t want to open a door because that’s gonna increase the probability of the vehicle sinking,” Costa said. “With her still in her seatbelt and buckled up, we didn’t want to risk the chance of opening the door and her not being able to get out in time”.<\/p>\n
After breaking the window, Costa said they had even less time before the vehicle submerged. “It was very quick. The second that water started creeping in through that window it was only a matter of seconds before that vehicle was underwater,” he recalled.<\/p>\n
The woman was “scared” and “nervous,” but was relieved when the rescuers arrived and followed instructions. “We reassured her along the way,” Costa said.<\/p>\n
More deputies arrived and pulled everyone out of the canal so the woman could be medically cleared by paramedics.<\/p>\n
BSO later determined that the car ending up in the canal was an accident, and the woman is OK.<\/p>\n
Sheriff Gregory Tony commended the deputies and the fire captain, stating that the “difference between tragedy and survival was measured in seconds” that day.<\/p>\n