SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) – A woman fell off an interstate bridge into a river after a horrific crash in central Florida. Thanks to a high-tech save, she was saved.
The incident occurred in Seminole County on Monday.
“I fell into the water,” the caller said. “I fell off the bridge. I was hit by a car and fell off the bridge into the water.”
There was a crash, followed by a second crash, and the woman was thrown into the St. Johns River.
“A semi hit the truck that just hit us,” the caller said.
Her rescue was not an easy task.
Authorities requested help from the Seminole County Fire Department and its technicians.
“We were able to locate her using the drone and were able to direct our Wayside Park crew to her location,” said Lt. Matt Larasin of the Seminole County Fire Department.
Laransin said they have been using drones for about four years to assist in rescue efforts that seemed nearly impossible.
“Post-hurricane damage assessment. It can be used to find lost hikers in the woods,” he said. “It can be used to deal with things from multiple angles.”
During the incident, the woman managed to crawl onto the bridge’s support platform.
“We were able to fly a drone and use infrared cameras and thermal imaging to take pictures of her, or what she looked like, so we knew she was still moving and that she was responding. We were able to confirm that,” Lalancin said. .
It was so much better than peering over the edge of a bridge 60 feet below in the darkness of night.
“It definitely gave us more information than we had before monitoring her with the drone,” he said.
Although she fell, the woman was rescued without serious injuries.
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