Trooper, Turnpike crew save two in submerged car
Ponca City Now - September 19, 2018 4:27 pm
About 1:20 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Matt White , of Troop YB /Turner Turnpike detachment, received a call of a vehicle submerged in a body of water off the roadway at approximately MM 154 west bound.
Trooper White responded to the scene and began wading out to the vehicle when he began to sink from knee deep water level to mid chest level and slightly higher at times, almost instantly. He was able to remove pieces of his equipment and make it to the vehicle where he located a female occupant slumped over the wheel and an infant child inside the vehicle.
Trooper White had to bust the side window of the vehicle to gain access. Both occupants were fine, but scared and wet. The vehicle was full of water.
With the assistance of Oklahoma Turnpike Authority maintenance workers Patrick Goggin and Randy Pierce, Trooper White was able to get the occupants removed from the vehicle and to safety where medical personnel were able to treat them.
OTA workers should be commended for their actions today. Both occupants were transported to Edmond Integris hospital for treatment. Why the subjects left the roadway has yet to be determined.
