Elderly Woman Spent Friday Night Stuck In Partially Submerged Car

PLYMOUTH, Minn. (WCCO) — A man says it was a miracle that he was in the right place at the right time to save a woman whose car flipped into a pond.

Police say the woman, whose name hasn’t been released, hit some ice and went off the road early Friday night in Plymouth. Without the ability to call for help, she stayed there all night long — trapped in a partially submerged car.

Geoffrey Racette says he was taking a different route home from work when he discovered her.

Racette was riding his bike near 10th Avenue and Revere Lane North shortly before noon when he noticed a tire off in the distance near a ravine. When he got closer, he saw a car overturned on its side.

“I walked up to it and saw it was like a pink jacket, so I said, ‘hello, is everybody OK? Is there anybody in there?’ I don’t remember what she said, she just called out for help,” said Racette.

He says he then jumped on the ice and tried to help, but the ice gave away. Standing in a foot of ice, he soon decided to call for help.

“I said ‘OK, I’m gonna go call police and go grab you something,’ so I went to my backpack and got her some food I just brought,” said Racette.

Police were there within minutes and were able to pull the woman to safety.

The victim’s name has yet to be released, but she was taken to North Memorial Hospital in reportedly good condition after her car had run off the road due to the icy conditions on Friday night.

Police say the woman was reported missing Friday night. They believe she left her home in Centennial Lakes around 6 and got lost looking for a hotel.

A combination of being unfamiliar with a dark road and slick conditions may have contributed to the accident.