SUFFOLK, Va. — Suffolk firefighters acted quickly to rescue two people after their SUV went off the road and into the water Wednesday.
On Thursday, WTKR News 3 spoke with three of the firefighters as they recounted the rescue.
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It all happened Wednesday afternoon when the conditions started to change due to the snow. The SUV went off E. Washington Street and wound up in the water.
The SUV was partly submerged in cold water, and Lt. Mike Turner went out over the water to help rescue the two.
“I consider that to be a little above and beyond what we usually do,” said Fire Chief Michael Barakey, who was also on scene.
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When firefighters got to the scene, they saw one person on top of the SUV and a second person still in it.
“We really had to rush to get them out of the water because of the cold exposure,” Barakey said.
Firefighters were busy at the time dealing with other crashes going on in the city, but they knew they needed to act quickly.
"As soon as we're dispatched, we're already thinking of a plan of action of how we're going to do things," Battalion Chief Raphael Brown said.
Once there, firefighters extended a ladder to the SUV to create a bridge, allowing them to bring the first individual to safety while rescuing the second person from the water. Ropes were used to secure the individuals during the rescue.
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Lt. Turner removed his jacket to avoid any issues from the water and wore a life jacket during the rescue.
“That lieutenant is very brave. He’s been here for over 20 years; very experienced,” said Brown.
Sixteen firefighters were on scene to help make the rescue.
“It definitely shows me every day that I’m blessed to come to a fire station every day and I have people like that that I can learn from, and hopefully I can be making saves like that myself,” said firefighter Greyson Mann, who was also there.
Although the two individuals complained of being cold, they appeared to be otherwise okay.
“When it all comes together like this and we get to serve in a little bit different capacity — being the weather was different and certainly the vehicle location, the ravine — it makes us proud,” said Barakey.
