steveinak
Admiral
By Blake Essig Channel 2 News 1:56 p.m. AKDT, August 23, 2012
WHITTIER, Alaska—
A driver was following his car’s GPS device when he drove into the water in Whittier Harbor Thursday morning shortly after getting off a ferry, according to local police.
Whittier Police Department Chief Dave Schofield says the driver was in a Subaru with two dogs and a cat as he drove off the ferry at about 6:15 a.m., in the dark under heavy rain. When the vehicle’s GPS told the driver to turn right, he then drove down a ramp into the harbor at near high tide, submerging the vehicle in five feet of water.
According to witnesses, two women who were following the Subaru went back to the ferry terminal to summon help. A former Marine jumped into the water, then shattered the car’s rear window with needlenose pliers.
Schofield says rescuers were able to remove the driver and the dogs in a matter of minutes, but the cat was trapped and died.
The driver, who was reportedly stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, was apparently uninjured but taken to a hospital on base for observation. The rescuer who broke open the rear window suffered glass cuts during the incident.
Email Blake Essig
WHITTIER, Alaska—
A driver was following his car’s GPS device when he drove into the water in Whittier Harbor Thursday morning shortly after getting off a ferry, according to local police.
Whittier Police Department Chief Dave Schofield says the driver was in a Subaru with two dogs and a cat as he drove off the ferry at about 6:15 a.m., in the dark under heavy rain. When the vehicle’s GPS told the driver to turn right, he then drove down a ramp into the harbor at near high tide, submerging the vehicle in five feet of water.
According to witnesses, two women who were following the Subaru went back to the ferry terminal to summon help. A former Marine jumped into the water, then shattered the car’s rear window with needlenose pliers.
Schofield says rescuers were able to remove the driver and the dogs in a matter of minutes, but the cat was trapped and died.
The driver, who was reportedly stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, was apparently uninjured but taken to a hospital on base for observation. The rescuer who broke open the rear window suffered glass cuts during the incident.
Email Blake Essig
