Restaurant Staff Rescues Couple Who Drove into Water After Getting Confused by GPS Directions
The out-of-town driver and passenger accidentally drove down a boat ramp and into a South Carolina marina
Employees at a barrier island restaurant in South Carolina acted fast after an out-of-town couple confused by GPS directions drove their SUV straight into a marina.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, Sept. 14, employees at Islander 71, a dockside restaurant on Isle of Palms, heard a splash and realized a car had gone into the water, the Isle of Palms Police Department tells PEOPLE.
“A bartender at the restaurant was outside and heard the noise, he jumped the dock fence and dove into the water helping get the couple out of the car which was filling with water,” Sgt. Matt Storen, PIO for the Isle of Palms Police Department, tells PEOPLE.
The bartender, Johnny Himmelsbach, leapt to action, as did another bartender, Shannon Standhardt, who raced to a nearby fire station for help, according to The Post and Courier.
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By the time first responders arrived on scene, the vehicle was already submerged, Storen says.
The couple, who are in their 60s, “fortunately remained calm and thought to roll the windows down as the vehicle hit the water,” he adds, which aided the rescue.
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According to Storen, the driver told officers that he had left the parking lot of the restaurant and got confused by what the GPS in his vehicle was saying.
The couple accidentally drove the vehicle through the marina parking lot, down the boat ramp and into Morgan Creek directly behind the Isle of Palms Marina, he tells PEOPLE.
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Those on the scene said Himmelsbach played the role of hero.
“I cannot say enough things about Johnny and his heroic actions to help these innocent travelers,” Standhardt told ABC affiliate WCIV-TV. “We as his friends and coworkers already know how special he is but as a close friend and employee of mine he's truly an angel. He deserves all the credit from this. I can't say we will ever forget this evening and be so grateful that this accident didn't have a different outcome. The details of this incident we will forever remember.
General manager Christopher Sollom agreed. “It could have gone a different way,” Sollom told The Post and Courier. “Everything aligned for a perfect rescue.”
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