A Florida man has been pulled free from the submerged wreckage of a car as it sank into a canal near a desolate stretch of road after his phone sent an S.O.S. distress signal to police.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office’s dispatch received the distress signal from the 38-year-old man’s cell phone, which gave only the longitude and latitude of the incident.
Using Google Maps to track down the location, deputies then rushed to see what had happened at the scene near Indiantown, north of Miami
The deputies arrived just after 1am on March 1. Body camera videos showed how difficult it would have been to find the crash site without the S.O.S. coordinates.
In one video posted to the sheriff office’s Facebook page, a beam of light cut through the darkness as a deputy used his torch to spot the upside-down car in the water.
“We got you buddy.. I’m going to figure a way in,” a deputy shouted out.
Inside, a muffled voice was heard screaming for help. “Stay back from the window buddy, I’m going to bust it,” the deputy calmly ordered.
A second video showed the door finally pried open as the deputies reached the distressed driver.
“Can you get me a blanket please sir, I’m freezing,” he said while still inside the car, which had filled with murky water and debris
The victim was transported to hospital where he is expected to recover, according to authorities. His name has not been released, and his face was blurred in the videos.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office said it was “amazing technology” that helped them find the man.
“We would like to commend our brave deputies and incredible dispatchers for their perseverance and bravery locating and rescuing this crash victim using only coordinates automatically launched from the victim’s phone. Amazing technology, and amazing work
