Good Samaritan Tries To Save Driver Whose SUV Plunged Into Oakland Estuary
ALAMEDA (CBS SF) -- A Good Samaritan tried desperately to save a man's life after a speeding SUV plunged into the Oakland estuary.
It happened around 7 a.m. Saturday morning on the waterfront, near Blanding and Broadway in Alameda.
Alameda fire officials said the SUV was submerged about 30 feet, which complicated rescue efforts.
Witnesses tried to make sense of the bizarre scene as recovery crews pulled the white, water-logged SUV out of the water.
"The vehicle went through the parking lot, over that large, sidewalk area, through that metal railing, into the water," said Alameda Fire Captain Jim Colburn. "The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed."
Brian Tetirick was the man who tried to rescue the man.
"(My) first thought was, that can't really have happened, right?"
Tetirick was working nearby when someone ran into his store yelling for help.
"Someone came in and yelled if anyone knew how to swim, a car had crashed into the water," he said.
The car was completely underwater.
"I couldn't see the car, but they were pointing out that there were some bubbles coming up. I didn't even think about it. Just get in the water and try and get to the guy."
So, Tetirick dove in to try to rescue the driver. Unfortunately, the cold water and darkness proved too challenging for Tetirick.
"It becomes completely black. I can't even see my hands," he said.
A trained diver with Alameda Fire was finally able to pull the driver from the vehicle, but the man died before getting to the hospital.
After reports there may have been more people inside the car, dive teams looked for more victims. They didn't' find any.
