OCALA, Fla. – A person suffering a medical emergency in Ocala was rescued Thursday after driving an SUV through a subdivision’s entry gate, then into a pond, according to officials.
Firefighters responded around 9:21 p.m. to the Fore Ranch subdivision, arriving at the pond behind SW 54th Circle to find Ocala police officers breaking the windows of the partially-submerged SUV, Ocala Fire Rescue said in a statement.
The driver and sole occupant of the SUV was hospitalized as a trauma alert after firefighters helped police get them out of the vehicle, the statement reads.
No other injuries were reported, the fire department said, adding Battalion Chief 11, a safety officer and Marion County Fire Rescue also responded.
The Ocala Police Department said in an update Friday evening that it was investigating the crash.
The driver was reportedly in critical condition at the time of the update. The police department commended Sgt. Moorehead and officers Hernandez and McPhillips for their work to get the driver out of the SUV.
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