Local firefighters and police officers came to the rescue of an SUV’s driver on Thursday night after the vehicle veered off the roadway into a retention pond in southwest Ocala.
According to Ocala Fire Rescue, several units responded to the Fore Ranch subdivision at around 9:20 p.m. on Thursday, October 3, in reference to a vehicle that was “in a pond.”
OFR stated that several residents reported that an SUV had accelerated through the subdivision’s entry gate. The vehicle then struck a “controlled access unit” before leaving the roadway and becoming submerged in the pond.
Upon arrival at the pond located behind SW 54th Circle, OFR crews observed Ocala Police Department officers who were breaking the glass of a compact SUV that was in the water.
Firefighters immediately approached the SUV and helped the officers extricate the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle.
Paramedics quickly determined that the unidentified driver of the SUV was “suffering a medical emergency,” and the driver was rushed to a local hospital as a trauma alert, according to OFR.
No further updates were provided regarding the driver’s condition.
There were no other injuries reported.
Marion County Fire Rescue also responded to the retention pond on Thursday night.