An 89-year-old man was very lucky that the Coast Guard happened to be nearby when his car rolled through a guardrail and into St. Andrew Bay.
According to news reports, the man was in his Toyota Camry around 12:30 p.m. Saturday when he suffered a medical issue that caused him to drive off the southwest side of the St. Andrews Marina.
Coast Guard members aboard Coast Guard Cutter Marlin observed a car go into the water at approximately 12:45 p.m. and launched a boat crew from the cutter to assist the man.
The boat crew arrived on scene at approximately 12:47 p.m., broke the car’s window and rescued the man from the vehicle. According to news reports, the man was unharmed.
“I am very pleased with the quick reaction of the crew,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Glenn Bucklin, the officer in charge of Coast Guard Cutter Marlin. “This is a perfect example of the training we put into our job. As soon as one of our crewmen witnessed the car enter the water, the entire crew fluidly reacted. We are extremely grateful that we happened to be at the marina at the right time to put our boat crew in position to save the life of the driver trapped inside.”
