TWEED POLICE have praised two men who rescued an elderly woman from her sinking car, after she crashed into the Tweed River at Chinderah, on Saturday, August 26.
Police said the 79-year-old female driver was travelling north on the M1 at Chinderah, when her vehicle began to leave the road, around 12.10pm on Saturday, August 26.
The woman mistakenly thought she was going to hit a tree and tried to correct her vehicle, but lost control and crashed into Boyd’s Channel, a small channel of the Tweed River, just after the Tweed Valley Way northbound entrance to the motorway.
A 21-year-old man who was canoeing nearby and a 46-year-old man who was driving behind the elderly woman jumped into the water in an attempt to rescue her from her vehicle that was still floating. They were able to get in through the boot and assisted her out of her vehicle and to safety.
Police said approximately 10 to 20 seconds after the woman was rescued her car became completely submerged.
The Tweed District Rescue Squad were the first to arrive at the scene and assisted the woman out of the water and up an embankment.
“Lucky for the driver she only suffered minor injuries, however was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital for observation,” police said in a media statement.
“Police have no doubt that without the assistance of the two males who entered the water to assist the elderly driver the result would certainly not have been as positive.”
NSW Fire and Rescue also assisted police and the vehicle was towed from the channel.
The woman had been driving from Kiama, and police said they would “like to remind drivers of the importance to Stop Revive Survive”.