Good Samaritans jump in pond, try to save driver

PORT ORANGE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Investigators are trying to figure out what caused a 79-year-old man to crash into a pond in Port Orange, prompting several good Samaritans to try and save his life.

"I was scared."

That's how good Samaritan, Rickey Mays, describes the moment he jumped into a pond to save a man who has now been identified as 79-year-old Herbert Lantz.

The crash happened at about 1:30 p.m. near the intersection of Spruce Creek and Nova Road in Port Orange.

Mays was riding his bike when the crash took place.

"It was really terrifying, and I threw my bike down, and I didn't know what to do," Mays said.

Mays and seven others jumped into the pond after seeing Lantz's 2002 Ford Ranger pickup truck crash.

"So it flipped and landed with the tailgate towards the rest of the pond. Everybody was trying to do the best we could, it's just so overwhelming," Mays said.

Mays says he did everything he could to help the man, but it was simply too late.

"I grabbed a hold of his hand, and then the other gentleman hollered for a knife, I always carry a pocket knife, and thank God I had it. He cut the seat belt off of him, and I had to come up for air, he got the seat belt loose, but we couldn't get him out. I went back down and grabbed him by the hand and we tried our best to get him out."

The cause of that deadly crash is now under investigation.