Key To Survival: Keep Your Wits In The Water

Don’t panic.

That’s an important rule if the car you’re in ends up in the water. And one that we should all be aware of in light of yesterday's news about two men who lost control of their Dodge Ram truck on the Brorein Street bridge in Tampa and ended up in the Hillsborough River.

Both men were picked up by a Tampa Fire Rescue boat and taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

In a situation like that, the ability to stay calm is essential to getting out alive, said Tampa Fire and Rescue Capt. Bill Wade.

“This city and our neighboring communities are surrounded by water,” he said. “One, the first rule is don’t go into the water.”

An obvious corollary—make sure you’re wearing seat belts so you don’t get bumped unconscious.

After that, keep your wits about you. The air in the car will keep it afloat for at least a few minutes. That may give you enough time to get the door open and escape, although there will be extra pressure from the water on the door.

If the car is fully submerged, you may have to wait until the car partially fills with water, which will actually reduce the pressure on doors. If you can get the door open, take a deep breath and head for the surface, Wade said.

If there are kids in the car, quickly get them out of car seats or seat belts so they have mobility.

There are devices available that are designed to break car windows in such situations. Simple web searches will turn up several.

“Those are some of the things we’ve experimented with here in the Tampa area,” Wade said.