SEATTLE — Strangers worked together to pull a woman out of her submerged car at Alki Beach on Sunday.
That 24-year-old woman is in critical condition, still clinging to life.
The rescue was amazing. Several good Samaritans jumped into Elliott Bay to get her out of her car. A speeding car had struck her so hard, her car went sailing into the water.
Witnesses described an incredible scene of strangers working together. Neighbors said it was like a symphony; everyone knew their part.
“There was a big group of us just trying to make sure she was out of the water, she was safe,” said TerRon Dawson, a West Seattle local. “And doing the best we could to make sure she was alive.”
Dawson was driving northbound on Alki Avenue Southwest when he heard the sound of a collision.
“She was turning to come into her friend’s place over here,” he said. “When the vehicle that was driving excessively fast down here struck her so hard that she went flying into the water.”
That sparked this massive response. A couple of people worked to get her out of the car, including a man who stayed behind.
“Because he was also looking for an extra person if there was anyone else in there,” Dawson said. “There wasn’t.”
They finally got her out of the water and onto the grass, all the while performing CPR.
“It was very disconcerting,” he said. “But that was like her lips were already starting to turn different colors. Like I said, there was no response from her limbs. There was nothing. Like she was completely unresponsive.”
They laid her on her side.
“But it was enough for her to get a lot of water out of her lungs,” he said.
Soon, they got a pulse. By then, the medics had arrived.
“It reminded me that society does care,” said Dawson. “It was very humbling to see a whole group of people who don’t know each other at all come together to just try to assist someone who was in need.”
If you would like to help, you can donate to the woman’s GoFundMe here.
We have also been checking on the driver who hit her. We know that he is in the hospital being treated for his injuries.
He will be booked into the King County Jail when he is released.
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