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Fisherman finds submerged jeep in water. When help arrives he discovers missing person inside
Justin Pennington was out fishing one afternoon when he came across a peculiar sight. A submerged jeep in the water.
Jaclyn Abergas
05.23.23

A missing woman has been found underwater.

A local fisherman, Justin Pennington, was fishing on the south side of Lake o’ the Pines just outside Dallas, Texas when he spotted a submerged vehicle on the other side of the lake.

He called the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to report a submerged Jeep about forty feet from Woody’s Camp boat ramp.

YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition

Local authorities arrived around 18 minutes later to retrieve the Jeep from the water.

They were shocked to discover a woman inside the jeep.

After more investigation, they discovered it was the same woman who was listed as missing by the Longview Texas Police Department.

YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition

The woman was already missing for two days.

While 90% of the Jeep was submerged in the water, a portion of the roof still stay on top of the surface.

The woman most used this air pocket to be able to breathe and stay alive.

“I would never have thought anybody was in there because the windows were down,” Justin told Inside Edition. “I assumed they probably got out and left it and were just gonna come back the next day.”

Facebook - Marion County Sheriff Office
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Facebook - Marion County Sheriff Office

The sheriff’s office had called a local wrecker service to help with extracting the vehicle.

“It was at that time they saw the woman,” Capt. Chuck Rogers of the Sheriff’s Office said. “The fisherman and wrecker employee were able to help the woman from the jeep. They placed her into the boat and she was brought to shore.”

It was amazing that this woman was still alive inside the submerged vehicle!

“She wasn’t saying anything but she was conscious because she was moving,” Justin added.

YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition

The authorities couldn’t say exactly how long the woman was in the car but she said she was there for at least a few hours.

When they brought the woman to shore, they placed her inside the car to warm her up.

When emergency services arrived, they quickly took care of her and treated her for hypothermia.

They took her to the local hospital for further evaluation.

Facebook - Marion County Sheriff Office
Source:
Facebook - Marion County Sheriff Office

Authorities discovered the woman, whose identity has not been released, was declared missing 25 miles away in Longview, Texas.

It’s great news that the woman has survived all this time because it’s pretty rare for that to happen.

According to survival expert, Cat Bigney, when a vehicle is submerged underwater, it typically only takes four minutes for brain death to happen after oxygen is depleted.

YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition

She shared a couple of tips if people ever find themselves in this kind of situation.

“Act quickly but don’t panic. You may only have a minute to get out, but you must stay focused,” Cat Bigney shared. If you are able to, open the door. Often that is not an option due to the pressure of the water, in which case you should open the window. If you are struggling to roll the window down, you may need to be creative to find something in the car that you can use to break it.”

YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition

What can you do if you can’t get out of the car?

“In the event you can’t get out of the car, you can use a bag of some sort, like a trash bag, to capture remaining air before the vehicle fills. This will only help for a while but could make a difference,” Cat Bigney added.

YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition
Source:
YouTube Screenshot - Inside Edition

Watch the heroic rescue of the woman in the video below.

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