Good Samaritans rescue driver from pond along State Road 417

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando Fire officials say good Samaritans jumped into action after a car went into a pond along State Road 417 on Sunday.

“I just went in… did what I could do,” said Ken Bengtson, who helped rescue the driver.

First responders say the driver lost control and flipped into the water.  

“As I was watching bubbles come out of the car, I knew there was less and less air in there. So just did it,” Bengtson said. “I threw my electronics on the ground, jumped into the water shoes and all."

Bengtson says two other men also went into the water with him. The three of them dove under to try and pull the driver out of the sinking car.

“I could feel the airbags had gone off. They were everywhere. And as I’m reaching in, I’m thinking I’ve got to be careful not to get stuck myself because that’s causing more of a problem. But then I found a foot, so I started pulling on it,” the Kissimmee man said.

The good Samaritans were able to get the driver out and take him to shore where people who knew CPR were waiting.

“They got him to wake up. He was coughing and groaning,” Bengtson said.

Those strangers who came to his rescue say they had no time to think, just act.  

“Fortunately, God put us in the right place at the right time. I just happened to be one of the early ones on the scene to get in there. It just felt like the right thing to do,” he said.

Fire officials say the driver was taken to Osceola Regional Hospital with minor injuries.