Harris County deputy saves unconscious man from vehicle submerged in pond

HARRIS COUNTY – A man whose vehicle was submerged in a pond was saved from drowning Sunday by an off-duty Harris County deputy, officials said.

The incident was reported at 6:45 a.m. in the 300 block of Cobia Drive.

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Deputy Arhelger said he was walking his dog around a retention pond when he noticed a blue-and-white Chrysler PT Crusier leave the roadway. He said the vehicle traveled about 30 yards into the pond and began to sink.

Arhelger said he ran to the edge and saw a 29-year-old man making no attempt to exit the vehicle. He said he swam toward the vehicle and saw the man slumped over the steering wheel. The vehicle was completely submerged by the time Arhelger was able to open the driver’s door with the help of a Good Samaritan and pulled the man above the waterline.

Arhelger was able to retrieve a life jacket and fastened it on the man. He said they tied a rope to the jacket and firefighters and emergency medical services workers who arrived on the scene then pulled the man to shore.

It was later determined the man had suffered a seizure and was unconscious.

The man was taken to a hospital and released later that day in good condition.


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