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Firefighters Rescue Woman From Submerged Vehicle After It Plummets Off Bridge
February 23, 2010
Two volunteer firefighters from Cantonment are being called heroes this morning after jumping into the cold waters of Jacks Branch to save a woman from a submerged vehicle late Monday night.
The Cantonment Station of Escambia Fire Rescue was dispatched to a possible accident on a bridge over Jacks Branch on Jacks Branch Road about 11:45 Monday night. When firefighters A. Fails, Shay McCarro and Coy McKenna arrived just minutes later, they found that a vehicle had gone through the guardrail, over the bridge and fallen about 25 feet to the water below. The vehicle was completely submerged in the branch, the tail lights barely visible.
A woman who was unable to swim had climbed out of the vehicle and was calling for help.
“We came out of our gear and went in after her,” McKenna said. “It was just instinct.”
After McCarro and McKenna swam back to shore with the woman, they discovered she had survived the crash without injuries.
The Florida Highway Patrol said Denise Ann Holden, 47, of Cantonment, was southbound on Jacks Branch Road when she lost control on the bridge and crashed through the guardrail. Her vehicle, a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer, was submerged standing almost on end in an estimated 12-15 feet of water.
Holden was not impaired at the time of the crash and will not face any charges, according to the FHP. She told the FHP that she was headed to Winn Dixie in Cantonment for coffee creamer and “hit a slick spot” on the bridge.
She was evaluated on the scene by Escambia County EMS but not transported to the hospital.
Firefighters credited a nearby resident for calling 911 after hearing what they thought might be an accident on the bridge.
Pictured above: A Cantonment driver crashed through the guardrail on this bridge over Jacks Branch late Monday night, crashing about 25 feet into the water below. Pictured below: In this digitally enhanced photo, the tail lights and outline of the vehicle are barely visible in an estimated 12-15 feet of water. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
31 Responses to “Firefighters Rescue Woman From Submerged Vehicle After It Plummets Off Bridge”
Thank you Shay and Coy for your selfless service that night. Perhaps because of your actions my mother is still alive. My preverbial hat goes off to you and the rest of your unit. Thank you so much and may God bless you and your families. I know you feel like you were just doing your jobs but you both indeed went above and beyond the call of duty. If it weren’t for professional heroes like yall the world would be a worse place. There is no way i can express the level of gratitude i have for your actions on that night. Thank you soo much. God bless.
4 min and 14 seconds, that’s the time it took our Cantonment Boys to reach the scene. That’s pretty fast to me. When that truck stopped, they were out and going like ants. No hesitation from any of them. One man was breaking out equipment and the other 2 headed down to the creek and coming out of their fire suites. That water is cold even in the summer. Watching all 3, the only word that came to my mind was “Fearless” I asked the 2 taking off their suites if I could help, one of them said”No Sir, but thank you” Some of the Best Teamwork I have ever witnessed. They earned my Respect 10 times over that night. I talked to the man breaking out equipment, and he said “Thank you for calling and allowing us to do our job” I also talked to the first one in the water, on the phone last night at the Station, very respectful. When I asked him could my wife and I order them Pizza he hesitated, funny as how on scene he did not. Ordered them 3 large ones. Never had a son, if I did, hope he would be as Honorable as those 3 young men are!
Roll Tide you nothing better to do than FUSS……The bridge needed personal there early in the morning to take care of business. At 6:30 am or so, there was not a problem getting by the “heros”. So you had to go around for ONE DAY, big deal. I had to deal with a bridge being closed for 3 months…..now that is a real pain when I had to drive 20 miles ONE WAY.
If you had listened to the radio stations you would have known there had been an accident with a possible detour. Get over it…..
I am glad we still have people willing to help people when they are needed. Congras for the Cantonment Fire Department for being on the scene, plus the person who called in the accident. I am glad no one was hurt and hopefully does not get sick from the cold water or weather.
My only question……was she texting or what not paying attention to the road????
Thank you and have a great day!!!!!!
Hey, I am glad that MCKENNA boy is doing great things for the fire department.
Stories like this one should make us proud of the people who dedicate their lives and time to be there for us when things are bad. It’s even more powerful when we know those individuals personally. (I don’t, by the way)
Great job, firefighters. Thank you.
Cantonmnet ( a.k.a.Cantonment )
The lady ran off the bridge into the creek, she was saved by firefighters.
She was OK, the bridge was OK, besides where the rail was damaged on the
bridge.
There were no one else in the car.
All this was determined the night of the accident.
There was no urgency to shut down, not one lane, but the complete bridge for the first three hours of the day.
Before you call someone an idiot, learn how to spell your own home town !!!!!!
another example of local heroes putting the community first. these men are a great example to all. I would like to meet them and shake their hands. this is a great story with a “other than bad” ending. I hope these men are recognized for their valor and quick response. great job!!!
This only confirms what I have known all along, that Coy is fearless and a good-hearted man…I am proud to be his hockey mom! Jackie D.
good job guys gald she was OK
You Got to tip your hat to the 4 house aka “C-TOWN” on this one…Coy and shay yall are too good firemen and were glad to have yall in the community.. Yall had to think fast and yall made a great decision .. Im so proud to have VoL.Firemen in our community like we have in district 4…..Keep up the good work and slap all the guys on the back for me up there…..
Roll Tide, I’m sure if this was your family you would not think about the bridge
being block / down to one lane.
Winn Dixe possibly was open when she was on her way there prior to the accident no one know how long she was down there.
Roll tide- think about what you say before you say it… You really sound like and idiot -You know as well as the rest of the people reading this they did what had to be done.Oviously it inconvenienced YOU!
people like you need to just shut the mouth and think about the situation.Always have to have one in the crowd its unbelivable.
There may have been reason that they had to wait. I am sure that they made sure nobody else was in the car. Safety comes first when divers have to go in and help remove the car. I am just glad we have firefighters like that in this area. If they had to get help removing the car it takes time. The bridge was one lane most of the day trying to fix the guard rail.
You do relize how cold the water was for these two firefighter to jump into.
Unbelivable guys!!!!
dats how yall roll
Roll Tide they had to get divers to help remove the car. They also doubled check for bodies. Firefighters had to standby for four hours to make sure the bridge was safe. They had to go back while the divers where there. I glad she is safe and we have such firefighters here.
Great job guys! I’m sure you were freezing. It’s good to know there are just ‘good people’ like you, when John Q Public needs them.
Coy, I’m gonna tell your grandma Nancy, a story about how your namesake, your great uncle Coy saved a young man’s life 30 years ago. Ask her. Maybe God puts good people in situations where they can respond as He would like.
Great job you guys!! Shay, I’m very proud of you and I’m proud to know you have continued to serve your community as a fearless and brave firefighter. (Craig’s mom)
First – I would hope that if they thought that there may have been someone else in the car they wouldn’t have waited till morning to get them out !
Second – We know the bridge was safe because at 8:00 this morning their was a ambulance, fire truck, and two cop cars plus a heavy duty tow truck sitting on the bridge.
Good job, men. Glad she was not hurt.
ROLLTIDE wrote:
My honest semi-educated, I stood on the bridge for two hours last night guesses — they had to check for bodies once it became daylight and make sure the bridge was safe. Things that were not happening in the dark.
Glad the womans ok! Thanks brave firemen….. But what I dont understand is if this happened at 11:00 pm last night, and they knew everybody was out of the car and safe,whose bright idea was it too close Jacks Branch Rd. first thing in the morning when people are trying to get to work and school buses are trying to get our kids too school? to get the car out of the water. Seems like somebody with some sense would have suggested waiting till around 10:00 or so after the morning traffic rush to remove the car. If you live north of the bridge its not a detour through a neighborhood, it is about a 20 mile detour!!!
Wow… phenomenal work once again by our local volunteers!
and that is a crazy eerie photo of the tail lights
My family and I cross that bridge every day, what was the slick spot?
My heroes!
Winn-Dixie is closed that time of night. But glad to hear she is ok.
Glad to have such men serving this area! You make us all feel safer going about our day to day lives.
My hats off to you brave men!!!!! Great job!!!!!!
Now these are two great firefighters who do not even think twice to save a life over there own.I sure am glad you are in are area if any thing was to happen.
Awsome Job McKenna And McCarro !!!!
Oh my gosh! Thank you so much Shay McCarro and Coy McKenna for being there to help this woman, you guys are really hero’s, to jump into that cold water and get this lady out; great job guys… This poor woman must have been so scared, that was some accident with falling in her vehicle into such deep water head first just barely being able to see her tail lights. God was with this woman for sure, the poor woman could have drown… My herart goes out to this woman and her family and I am so glad that she is ok. Thanks again so much shay and coy for being the brave hero’s…
Good Job Men