A man was hospitalized in critical condition Thursday afternoon after divers rescued him from a car that was fully underwater in a canal west of Oakland Park.
The car went into the canal in the 5100 block of Northwest 33rd Avenue, behind a Social Security Administration office, shortly after noon, according to first responders’ radio communications archived by the streaming site Broadcastify.
A witness reported that it was sinking as first responders were on the way to the scene, Fort Lauderdale Police spokesperson Det. Ali Adamson said in an email Thursday afternoon.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, Oakland Park Fire Rescue and Fort Lauderdale Police personnel went into the canal and pulled the man from his car and onto land to administer CPR. He was taken to Florida Medical Center in Lauderdale Lakes in critical condition, Adamson said.
Two officers had minor injuries after the rescue, Adamson said, but she did not provide further information about how the injuries occurred. Additional information was not released.
The driver and only person inside the car was an older man, according to the radio communications. Additional fire rescue crews were asked to respond to assess the officers who went into the water.