5 Good Samaritans Dive Into Pond, Rescue Children In Sinking Minivan

Children In Submerged Vehicle For At Least 7 Minutes

POSTED: 3:08 pm EDT October 17, 2007

UPDATED: 12:32 am EDT October 18, 2007

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Five good Samaritans jumped into a retention pond near Walt Disney World and saved two children trapped in a sinking minivan.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers said a spare tire on a minivan carrying five people apparently blew out as the vehicle traveled westbound on U.S. Highway 192 Wednesday afternoon. The out-of-control minivan then plunged into the water.

Ermarie Otereo, 24, and two passengers, Sulane Suero, 21, of Orlando, and Ivan Rivera, 6, of Kissimmee, were able to escape the submerged minivan, but Niomy Rivera, 3, of Kissimmee and Derek Rivera, of Kissimmee, were trapped underwater for at least seven minutes.

The good Samaritans noticed the sinking van and jumped in to rescue the children.

"For the quick reaction that these good Samaritans had, they saved these kids' lives," Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim Miller said. "It is anyone's worst nightmare. We know what can happen if kids are underwater."

"I screamed for a knife ... and I went in and cut up the seat belts on the car seat to get the baby out," rescuer Elliott Ramos said. All of the occupants were taken to Florida Hospital Celebration Health. The 1-year-old and 3-year-old remain in critical condition at Florida Hospital South.

Troopers said car seats helped save the children. "They could have been thrown underneath the floorboard or in the front seat and then time would have been wasted for those rescuers trying to find them."

Very good post but not “sexy” enough for the general public.........there’s no one to hate.

LMAO!

Thanks, I know what you mean :-)

I thought that readers might enjoy some 'good news' for a change. :-)

I thought it was useful also in that it serves as a reminder of one of the less commonly cited reasons for always using an appropriate child seat. People mainly associate them with keeping kids from flying around in the interior of the vehicle in the case of a collision, but as this article demonstrates they also keep kids from getting wedged under the seats in other circumstances as well

It also serves as a reminder for folks to think about always keeping some simple tools at hand....you never know when you might have an opportunity to help someone in need.

seat belt cutter, Tools, Parts Accessories items on eBay.com

Seatbelt Cutters - Window Punches - Rescue Tools Galls

Some you can even keep on your key ring

Res-Q-Me™ - FE388 Galls

"I screamed for a knife ... and I went in and cut up the seat belts on the car seat to get the baby out," rescuer Elliott Ramos said.

That's why I ALWAYS...I mean ALWAYS...carry a Victorinox "Fireman" knife.

Jas a speical blade for cutting seatbelts, nylon etcetera.

prisoner6

"I screamed for a knife ... and I went in and cut up the seat belts on the car seat to get the baby out," rescuer Elliott Ramos said.

That's why I ALWAYS...I mean ALWAYS...carry a Victorinox "Fireman" knife.

Jas a speical blade for cutting seatbelts, nylon etcetera.

prisoner6

The officer commented that the driver was going “a little too fast.” I think a big part of the problem, too, is that she was driving on the spare, which looks to be a donut. I see a lot of people driving highway speeds on those donuts; I don’t know if they realize (or care) that these spares are only intended to get you to the shop. I am surprised there aren’t more accidents as a result. I hope those kids are okay....

The problem with those, and every other Victorinox-type design is that the blade can and will collapse back into the handle with only a little upward pressure on the blade. This usually means a cut hand at best, and a partially amputated finger at worst. And then your hand is slick with blood when you may need a good grip to get out of the car....

The other problem is that a Swiss Army Knife type always requires two hands to open, something you may not have in a crash, as well as manual dexterity (which goes out the window with your adrenaline rush/stress).

I prefer the one-hand-operation and lock-back design of the Gerber EZ Out knives, which are about $20-30 and are actually made in the USA! I carry the EZ Out Skeleton: http://www.gerbergear.com/product.php?model=6751

The serrated edge *will* cut through a seatbelt in just a couple of strokes. Been there, done that. One is in each of my vehicles and clipped in my front right pocket.

If you prefer one with a blunt tip, specifically for cutting seatbelts, try this: http://www.gerbergear.com/product.php?model=6971

Yuppers to the fold back...at least on the secondary blades and tools. The main blade does lock though.

Theother problem I have with most knives today is that they're stainless steel. I'd rather have a softer blade that I can sharpen. these stainless jobs are a real pain. I generally use 'em for a year and toss 'em.

Case Knives are also a good bet and they're made sorta near me in PA. In fact I'm hoping to make a trip there to tour the factory in a month or so.

I'll check out the Gerber...one had opening is always a plus.

Thanks for the tip.

prisoner6

Thanks for that - I’ve seen these but never bought them. I’ll start my holiday shopping early.

You're quite welcome :-)

Rescue tools are always a nice gift.

Some of the advantages of the dedicated seatbelt cutters (including the type with the integrated hammer) are that they are far safer to use than fumbling with a traditional knife in the dark, when you're hanging upside down while strapped in to your seat, and while your hands are perhaps injured or wet. The blade mounted at the end of the channel means you can cleanly slice through a seatbelt in one motion, and do it by feel. The bright fluorescent orange colors make it easier to find in the dark and in difficult circumstances, etc. etc.

Please be advised, however, that there is a LOT of poorly-made trash out there. I've generally had good luck with Galls' quality over the past 20+ years, and on the few occasions when I've had a problem they have been one of the very best companies I've dealt with in terms of processing returns.

.........there’s no one to hate.

How 'bout those darned 'gators who would'a ate the kids if they hadn't been rescued?

;^)

Moral of the story: Always have your kids watch the Discovery Channel :-)

(snicker)

Teen Uses Discovery Channel Tip To Escape Alligator Attack

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