Two quick-thinking Florida teenagers are being praised for their heroic actions after saving a man whose truck crashed into a canal in North Lauderdale on Wednesday night. Tony Cooper and his friend were sitting in a nearby restaurant when they witnessed the truck lose control and plunge into the water around 9 p.m.
Without hesitation, the brave duo sprang into action, running across the parking lot and jumping into the canal. “We rushed and took off our shoes and stuff,” Cooper told WSVN while standing beside his friend, who chose to remain anonymous. “We literally jumped on the hood and then we took off the seat belt and then we pulled him out.”
According to Cooper, the driver was unconscious when they reached the submerged vehicle. “I started screaming at him because he was heavy while he was in the car,” he recounted. “We screamed, he woke up, we helped him get out of the car and after that he was on the hood and then we pulled him onto the grass.”
The driver, whose condition remains unknown, was transported to the hospital by local responders. He was reportedly conscious at the time of transport.
Witness Dorothy Borgelin described hearing a loud crash before seeing the two teenagers rush to the scene. “There were two kids, they were on the other side, and then they just jumped into the water,” she told WSVN. “They did an amazing job to save the man’s life.”
In recognition of their bravery, city leaders plan to honor Cooper and his friend at an upcoming city commission meeting. Meanwhile, divers were seen working to remove the truck from the canal as the cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office has been contacted for additional information regarding the incident.