Fishermen Pop Rear Window To Save Woman From Sinking Car in Old Hickory Lake
Tennessee Highway Patrol investigates why a vehicle accelerated from a parking area into the lake at Shutes Branch Recreation Area.
By Chioma Kuznetsov ·
A vehicle plunged into Old Hickory Lake at the Shutes Branch Recreation Area in Mount Juliet, leaving a woman trapped inside as it began to sink. Local fishermen intervened before the car disappeared beneath the surface. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is currently investigating the circumstances that led to the crash.
Witnesses told WSMV that the woman had been sitting in the parking area for several minutes prior to the incident. During that time, the vehicle suddenly accelerated toward the water. Jackie Light, one of the fishermen present, described the moment he first noticed the trouble. "We heard this loud motor revving up, and when we looked, this car just come, pooh, popped into the water," Light said.
The men, who regularly fish at the location on weekends, reached the vehicle in under one minute. The woman was holding the doors shut and did not respond to their knocking. Because the group did not have a tool to break the glass, they had to improvise a way to enter the cabin.
One fisherman used his boat to push against the car. The force caused the rear window to pop out. The men then reached inside and pulled the woman from the sinking vehicle. Ronnie Smythia, another member of the group, downplayed their actions. "I’m no hero," Smythia said. "Just reacting. Not thinking. Just reacting."
Cellphone video captured the sequence of events after the car entered the lake. The investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol aims to determine why the vehicle left the paved area and drove into the water. The woman was the sole occupant of the car at the time of the rescue.
