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Girl, 5, survives, but mother drowns when car overturns, sinks in Hanna Park lake

Florida Times-Union - 7/21/2019

A 5-year-old girl is recovering after being rescued Saturday from an overturned, partially submerged sport utility vehicle where her mother drowned after it slid into a secluded lake at Hanna Park.

A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office police officer used a knife to cut through several deployed air bags to free the girl who survived in a small air pocket inside the vehicle.

After rescuing the girl, the officer was able to get to her 35-year-old mother and pull her from the car but she had already passed away, the Sheriff's Office said.

"It was lucky for the child that we found her when we did because there was very little air inside the vehicle with what was left above the top of the water," Sheriff's Office Sgt. B.W. Suydam said at the scene.

"Had we not found her. Had the officer not been able to get to her and pull her out which he did, we might have a more tragic situation now," Suydam said.

The water was about 3-feet deep where the SUV was found, he estimated.

The girl was in good condition when taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office didn't release the names of the mother or daughter. Suydam said the officer who saved the girl is assigned to that area, but did not release his name.

Suydam said preliminary investigation showed the woman apparently was attempting to turn around on a narrow dirt, one-way road when the car slid down into the water. The car then overturned making it impossible for she and her daughter to get out, he said.

Park-goers reacted with horror when they heard what happened.

"Oh my gosh, that poor little girl. Thank God for that cop who got her out of the car. But losing her momma like that, it's too horrible to think about," said Tandy Nicholas, who was walking her beagle-mix, Arlo, at the park Sunday morning.

Nicholas, who was visiting the area from Indianapolis, Ind. and other park-goers said it was a miracle the girl survived.

"A miracle, yeah, I mean what else could explain it. ... I feel bad for her losing her mother and like that. That's hard," said Willie Eustis of Jacksonville, who brought his metal detector to scan for coins at the park.

Suydam said police responded to the park after the woman's husband called 911 at 6:53 p.m. Saturday and told emergency communications officers that his wife was at Hanna Park and he believed she might be drowning.

The man wasn't at the park at the time, Suydam said.

Police and Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department first responders assigned to Hanna Park searched the oceanfront and the park's lake area but didn't find anyone in distress. After getting a description of the SUV, the Sheriff's Office Air Unit joined the seach, he said.

The helicopter saw the SUV overturned and partially under water in the lake, which is in a rarely used area of the park, he said.

Suydam said the SUV had been in the water for about an hour before it was found in the isolated area.

That dirt road to that area is flanked by water. A three-point turn or backing up would be the only way to change direction on the roadway.

"It appeared as though she was trying to turn her vehicle around," Suydam said. It didn't appear that there were any witnesses, he said.

Investigation continues into the accident.

Anyone with information can contact the Sheriff's Office at (904) 630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@jaxsheriff.org. To remain anonymous and receive a possible reward of up to $3,000, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

Teresa Stepzinski: (904) 359-4075

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