Updated

Updated · NBC Philadelphia · Jul 11

Rower, Coach Pull Driver From Schuylkill After Medical-Emergency Crash at 2200 Kelly Drive

Updated

Updated · NBC Philadelphia · Jul 11

Rower, Coach Pull Driver From Schuylkill After Medical-Emergency Crash at 2200 Kelly Drive

Q: A sinking car, a locked door—how did one lucky detail prevent a tragedy?

The key lucky detail was that the car’s windows were open, even though the door was locked. That opening gave the driver a way out and gave rescuer Libby Peters access before the Chevrolet sank completely. Peters later said the man was “very fortunate” because the locked door would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to open once the car was in the water. In sinking-car emergencies, water pressure can trap doors shut until the vehicle fills, costing critical time. Accounts differ slightly on the exact extraction, but they point to the same fact: the window was the lifesaving escape route. Initial reports said Peters pulled the semi-conscious driver through a window; Peters later said the driver got himself out and she stayed with him in the water. Either way, the open window prevented the locked door from becoming fatal. The rescue then succeeded because several other factors aligned immediately afterward. Two bystanders brought life jackets from the boathouse just as the car disappeared underwater, helping keep the man afloat, and rowing coach Rebecca Grzybowski launched a motorboat to assist. Together, they got the driver back to shore for medics. So the near-tragedy turned on one crucial detail: with the door locked, the open window provided the only viable exit before the car went under.

3 articles · Updated · NBC Philadelphia · Jul 11

Libby Peters and Temple rowing coach Rebecca Grzybowski said they pulled a driver from a submerged car after it crashed into the Schuylkill River around 12:30 p.m. Friday.
The two women said the driver suffered a medical emergency before the crash; Peters swam to the car while Grzybowski rowed out in a boat after hearing a "huge splash."
Other bystanders, including Elisha Fox, brought life jackets into the water as Peters struggled to keep the man awake until he could be brought safely to shore.
Police, fire crews and the Marine Unit responded near St. Joseph's University Boathouse, treated the driver and worked to recover the car while checking that no one else was hurt.
Officials have not released the driver's condition or confirmed the crash cause, and the Philadelphia river rescue remains under investigation.