WEATHERWakeman firefighters save boy from submerged SUV
Jul 02
2010
WAKEMAN
Wakeman firefighters on Thursday pulled an 11-year-old boy from a submerged vehicle in a rural pond, saving the child from certain death.
Angela Yaworsky, mother of Austin Yaworsky, said she parked her Chevy Suburban in a field near her home at about 10 p.m. to feed the family’s goats and check on a pregnant nanny goat.
She got out of the SUV, leaving Austin, who has Cerebral Palsy, sitting in the car.
She left the door ajar as she checked on the animals.
Suddenly, the vehicle lurched forward. Yaworsky ran after the SUV and tried to grab at it, but accidentally shut the door.
The vehicle’s self-locking mechanism locked the doors as the SUV plunged into a large pond on the property, located in the 4700 block of N. Ohio 60.
Austin was able to unlock the doors, but air pressure quickly built up in the car as it began to sink.
“We’re both beating on the doors,” Yaworsky said. “I was like, ‘Try to bust the window! Try to bust the window!’”
The vehicle continued to sink, front end first, as Yaworsky frantically screamed for help. Realizing neighbors on the rural road were too far away to hear her screams, she ran home to get a phone.
“I said, ‘Buddy, hold on,’ and swam back to shore and ran up to the house,” she said. “Luckily we have a phone on the outside of our house.”
She called 911 and ran back to the sinking car, terrified it would be submerged. She found it quickly sinking.
Yaworsky urged Austin to unbuckle his seatbelt and swim to the back of the vehicle as the front end sunk into the water. She could hear the sirens in the distance as the SUV sank below the surface.
Terrified, she clung to the vehicle’s luggage rack.
“The car was all the way under and I was holding onto the top of the rack and it was as far under as my elbow,” she said.
Wakeman volunteer firefighters Mike Weber, Tim Miller, Chris Hileman and Chris Hipp arrived on scene. They swam to Yaworsky, asking her where the car and her son were located.
She told them she was hanging onto the submerged vehicle, beneath the water’s surface.
The men dove down into the murky pond and managed to open the SUV’s door. Weber grabbed around inside the vehicle, pulling out a bag.
He reached in again, and felt Austin’s arm.
The firefighters pulled the boy free and carried him to shore.
“Mike said (Austin’s) lips were blue,” Yaworsky said. “When they got him to shore he started breathing a little and then in the ambulance they got him to throw up all the water.”
She estimated the car was submerged for three minutes before firefighters freed the boy. She called the firefighters heroes — they saved her son’s life.
“He’s very thankful to be alive,” Yaworsky said. “(The firefighters) all came in to check on him today.”
On Friday, her voice tired and raspy after a sleepless night, Yaworsky said she spent the entire night awake, clinging to her son.
Austin was treated at Allen Memorial Hospital in Oberlin and is now home and back to normal, Yaworsky said.
Huron County Sheriff’s Capt. Ted Patrick said investigators are still trying to determine why the car rolled forward.
The car was still in park when it was pulled from the water, Yaworsky said. It’s unlikely Austin, who was buckled into the passenger seat, could have put the car into gear.
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01:17 PM
xrayeyes says
I don't think anyone should try to judge unless they know the facts. It's summer. When I was 11 yrs old, I sometimes stayed up till midnight!!!! Imagine that! I don't think it's that unusual to drive back to a barn in the dark to check on a pregnant goat, rather than walk or use a power wheelchair in the dark, especially if you're already in the car. It was hot, probably had air conditioning on in the car - that WAS in PARK!!!! If you think you could do better in this situation, good for you!! I don't think that there is anyone to blame, except maybe the auto company who built a car that would spontaniously start rolling while in park. While Austin was buckled in his seat, she was out of the car for several seconds, on her way to Austin's side of the car before it started to roll. Never was she out of sight of the car untill she left to call 911. It took all 3 firefighters to get the door opened because of the water pressure. Please leave this family alone! They did the best they could with a terrifying situation.
09:52 PM
dmartin says
I DO know the people and I can tell you that it was not done on purpose. This mom does more for her children than any other I know. They are good people! Their children come first. They were checking on the goat because Austin asked to. The goat was in her stall in the goat barn. Before you throw stones walk a mile in her shoes! She is one awesome mom!
07:48 PM
Hurricane 793 says
Sarah Tonin...don't believe everything you see on TV. I watched the same episode a week or 2 ago, which was well after we had our training/class. Michigan State Police and other State Police/Patrol agencies have also done tests, that prove other wise.
Also, you have roughly 15 secs before the water reached the level of the windows, the average time to unbuckle yourself, roll your window down, and get out of the vehicle was roughly 7 sec's. Again, these were tests that MSP and other State Polce/Patrol agencies did. The State Police/Patrol agencies that have done these tests are big into water rescues/recoveries and have specialized teams and personnel all over their states, such as Washington, Oregon, and Rhode Island just to name a few.
09:19 PM
just_a_mom says
why are you so critical of this story? it sounds as if you are the one that needs to re-read it. i'm so thankful the little boy is ok and i'm sure his family will be forever grateful to the ones that helped save him!!!!
07:56 PM
SarahTonin says
Hurricane 793 said: "If you have manual windows you can open them at any time, and if you have power windows, you have roughly 10 mins to be able to open the windows."
I recently watched my favorite TV show that dealt with this very topic, Mythbusters. They tested both electric and manual windows and their findings were a bit different. First of all, surprise suprise, the electric windows remained operational. One would think that the water would short the electric mechanism out but it didn't. The problem was that when water rose to the level of the window, it put such pressure on the glass and it's track, that you could not put enough muscle into the mechanism, with either the manual or elecric windows, to make them go down.
I also agree that the Revolutionary dude has no idea about the subject. Revolutionary dude .. watch Mythbusters!
06:33 PM
Dolpfin7 says
OKay my dad is the Mike Weber guy and his name really isn't Mike it's Rob Weber, and all of this is true. He told me what happened and it is all very true. It was 10:30 at night she was siting on top of the vehicle to show where it was otherwise they wouldn't have been able to find it!! So yeah!!
05:16 PM
Hurricane 793 says
I am a firefighter in Michigan. I was born and raised in Sandusky, and my dad and brother are both firefighters in the Sandusky area.
I was one of a few FF's from my Dept, (that has been only one of a few Public Safety Dept's) that have been able to go threw a Submerged Vehicle Water Rescue Class at the Michigan State Police Academy. Race Car Owner Jack Roush built and donated the vehicle simulator to MSP. While in this class, we learned numerous helpful information and hints. While reading some of these comments, especially "iamrevolutionary's," it is evident that you are no where educated to be making ANY comments on this artical what-so-ever.
We learned that the average vehicle will sink in water (above the roof) in roughly 1 min and 45 sec's. It will MORE THEN LIKELY sink faster, if the windows, doors, etc are damaged and/or some how open. The air/water pressure in the vehicle will equal out with in roughly 10 mins (with NO AIR in the vehicle what-so-ever), therefore you will be able to open the doors at that time. If you can get to one of the air pockets that are in the vehicle, you are buying yourself time. If you have manual windows you can open them at any time, and if you have power windows, you have roughly 10 mins to be able to open the windows. Now this MAY work with the power windows if there is NOT a short in battery, battery cable, or any of the other wiring. If you can some how hang onto the vehicle if it's totally submerged in some what shallow water (like the mother did in this case), it only makes it that much easier for the rescuers, and you are doing NO HARM by holding onto the vehicle. Now in order to break the windows at any time while under water, you can only do so with either a window punch (spring loaded center punch for those who did not know), or shooting a window out with a gun (which tests have been done, that you can get at least 1 or 2 shots off, from most guns under water). Of course you have to know where the victim(s) is, position of the vehicle, etc, so you do not injure or kill the victim(s). Further more, some other information that played a major roll in this situation is, where the vehicle came to rest. If it had been in water roughly 15 feet or deeper, the rescue more then likely would have no longer been a rescue, but a recovery instead, unless the rescuers have the proper training and gear to do these type of rescues. If the vehicle is totally submerged and on its side or upside down, any type of rescue has dropped to 20%, and this drops further as the time goes one.
After having this class/training, it shed a LOT of light on a rescue like this. Congratulations to the mother and the rescuers. ALL of you made a HUGE difference in this rescue effort.
09:21 AM
Commenter says
Glad he is o.k. and the Firefighters were able to free him.08:55 AM
William Jeffers... says
Thank God the boys if fine! I still think the auto locking doors cause more problems then they prevent.
06:27 AM
Kelly says
"Austin was able to unlock the doors, but air pressure quickly built up in the car as it began to sink."
03:31 AM
iamrevolutionary says
Plus..If the goat was THAT close to birthing, it would be in its STALL in the BARN>>>
03:27 AM
iamrevolutionary says
We DO live on a FARM.. AND WE DO have a POND! And we have had 3 children!!
1. The child either should have been in bed at that time, or in the house with another person supervising...
2. Why would the vehicle be turned on at all??!!
3. Depends on the vehicle, as to when the locks engage..BUT, THEN, HOW COULD THE OFFICER GET IT OPEN WITH NO PROBLEM?!
4.No matter...Hanging onto the luggage rack puts WEIGHT on the VEHICLE THAT YOU DO NOT WANT!!! IF, you don't want it to SINK!!
Don't know the people, just know that this ABSOLUTELY does NOT sound right...PLUS, There are WAY too many statements from Mom...Usually indicates a false story.....
Re-read it and think about it...
03:07 AM
myownopinion says
iamrevolutionary said, "the doors only lock after 5mph, thats NOT true, In my mothers car they automatically lock when the vehicle is put in GEAR! It is a safety precation.
Thankfully this child is ok, please, at her time of need don't judge, you don't know her, her child or the sircumstances. This is an accident, and yes some people do feed their animals at that time of night, and with her having a pregnant goat, they need supervision as well.
02:32 AM
eightballcuet1 says
Thank God Austin is ok, This was a horrible accident that had a happy ending thanks to the heroic efforts of the 3 fireman who arrived on the scene in time, Why is it that anytime anything like this happens people automatically assume there is something suspicious. There could be a number of things that caused this to happen. The linkage to the tranmission might have failed, Look what happened recently with the Toyatas that accelerated by themselves causing a massive recall. Some cars dont have to be going 5 MPH for the doors to lock In mine all you have to do is put the car in gear and the doors lock. And obviously iamrevolutionary you have never lived on a farm or had farm animals.There is no set time to feed your livestock. Some people get up at 4 AM, some have to be fed more than once a day, especially if one the goats is pregnant. The article said that she got out of the car to check on the animals, It does not say she had started to feed them yet so maybe she hadn't opened the rear door yet. And it doesn't say she was on top of the vehicle. It says she was hanging onto the luggage rack. This could be done from the side of the vehicle, Judge Judy isn't right all the time.
01:56 AM
iamrevolutionary says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained libelous or defamatory statements. Discussion Guidelines01:52 AM
iamrevolutionary says
Moderators have removed this comment because it contained libelous or defamatory statements. Discussion Guidelines