Orlando Sentinel: “A good Samaritan kept a child’s head above water after his family’s car flipped into a retention pond last week, helping keep the child alive until emergency personnel arrived, records show. Jose Díaz, 48, was driving behind the family’s car Thursday about 7:30 when he noticed the vehicle repeatedly trying to brake, but eventually losing control, driving across traffic then flipping into a retention pond, he told police. Díaz said he immediately stopped and called 911, then went to assist the family. ‘I took my flashlight on my backpack and I jump[ed] into the water,’ Díaz said Monday in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel.”
“He said he tried to enter the car through the trunk, but wasn’t able to get the seats down to access the child in the back seat. He was later able to get the side door open, but said the 4-year-old remained stuck in his car seat, so he just tried to keep the child’s head above water until more help came. It was dark and cold, but Díaz said he didn’t hesitate to assist the family. ‘I didn’t think about that at the moment, just take action,’ said Díaz, who is a father himself. ‘That was the main worry, … you try to save the life of the kids.’ Once the rescue team arrived, he said officers and firefighters worked about another five minutes to try to free the baby.”