Escaping a Vehicle in Water
COOPER: This is a dramatic river rescue. It happened yesterday in New Mexico. As you see, the rising water swallowed an SUV, nearly claimed the lives of the two people in it. Thanks to firefighters, the couple made it out alive. But what if there was no one to help? What if you were trapped in your car with water rushing in and time running out? Would you know what to do to survive? We asked Rick Sanchez to find out exactly how to get out of a car that goes into a pile of water.</s>RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What you're looking at is a view from inside a car that has just gone below the surface of a canal. It is a terrifying image that each year for hundreds of motorists becomes their last. 911</s>OPERATOR: Miami-Dade County, what's your emergency?</s>KARLA GUTIERREZ: Hi, I just got into an accident. I just went through the railing and I'm sinking in the water. 911</s>OPERATOR: Are you out of your vehicle?</s>KARLA GUTIERREZ: No, not yet.</s>SANCHEZ: The 911 call you are hearing was dialed by a woman from inside this car as it was sinking. She was driving on the Florida turnpike. It was 2001.</s>KARLA GUTIERREZ: Oh, my God. My car's sinking. 911</s>OPERATOR: Can you get out of the vehicle, ma'am?</s>KARLA GUTIERREZ: No, I can't. If I do, all of the water's going to come in. 911</s>OPERATOR: OK, well, ma'am, can you open a window or door to get out of the vehicle? What is last exit?</s>KARLA GUTIERREZ: The water's going to come in...</s>SANCHEZ: The woman did not know it and the operator did not seem to be able to convey it, but experts say, opening the window is exactly what she should have done. 911</s>OPERATOR: OK, we're getting help out. OK, just stay on the line with me, Karla.</s>KARLA GUTIERREZ: But my car's sinking! 911</s>OPERATOR: Karla, you can't open a window or get out?</s>KARLA GUTIERREZ: No, I can't. I can't. My car is sinking. 911</s>OPERATOR: OK, I'm transferring you.</s>SANCHEZ: Karla Gutierrez drowned. Her body was recovered the following morning. Tire tracks, visible only by the light of day, finally led police to her location. At the time, 911 operators are did not have specific instructions to tell motorists how to get out of a sinking car. Today, in part because of Karla's story, Miami police and many other departments across the country, do.</s>SGT. JOSE ACUNA, MIAMI POLICE DEPT.: Officer Wiggins has the final call on whatever's going on.</s>SANCHEZ: It's a Saturday morning on the banks of one of the thousands of waterways that crisscross the state of Florida. Miami police who now do extensive training on submerged vehicle safety have agreed to demonstrate how to get out alive. It's a daunting lesson that I'm about to receive, but one these police officials are convinced can save lives.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or, if we need to extract Mr. Sanchez, and we'll take them -- we'll take him to fire rescue in the event he needs any medical attention.</s>SANCHEZ: This is one of those stories that really makes you fight your demons. My father always told me, if you're scared, just say you're scared. Guess what, folks? I'm a little scared, so the first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to get together with some of these dive masters and understand exactly what I'm supposed to do, because once you're down there under water, it's going to be a little too late.</s>JULIUS WIGGINS, MIAMI POLICE DIVE MASTER: As soon as the car hits the water, you have seat belt on -- you want to get rid of that seat belt as soon as possible.</s>SANCHEZ: OK. To say that Miami Police Officer Julius Wiggins, who's also a dive master, is passionate about teaching people how to get out of the sinking car would be an understatement. His goal, to reach as many people with what he calls the basics.</s>WIGGINS: Seat belt first.</s>SANCHEZ: OK.</s>WIGGINS: Then, unlock the car door.</s>SANCHEZ: Right.</s>WIGGINS: OK? Then roll down the window.</s>SANCHEZ: OK.</s>WIGGINS: And then start climbing out. Then, what you're going to do is you're going to work your way out here</s>SANCHEZ: If ever there's been an appropriate use of the term "dry run," this is it.</s>WIGGINS: Car's gone in the water. Seat belt first, lock. Roll the window. Start climbing out.</s>SANCHEZ: Got it. And now, the real thing. The car plunges into the canal, head first, then bobs back, allowing enough time to put the basic plan into action. With me inside the car, photographer Rich Brooks, who is a certified diver. From his pictures, you can see I'm working fast to take advantage of what is a perfect scenario. The car has leveled out, give me time to open the window and get out before it sinks. However, on my second attempt, the car turns slightly, forcing the water in faster, slowing my exit. With the seat belt off, the lock undone, the window rolled down, I take a final breath and climb out. My third attempt takes a bit longer, but I'm realizing window exits seem most effective. Whether it's a roll down or electric, it doesn't matter as long as you don't remove the keys from the ignition. Remember, even under water, your battery will continue to operate the windows. What happens, though, if the window is stuck or for some reason simply isn't working? This window is being shattered under water using a tool called a power punch that motorists are urged to buy and keep in their glove box. Now, the last dive, an attempt to get out through the door. From inside the vehicle, you can see how it looks when I leave the window rolled up. The water is now seeping in from elsewhere and quickly filling the cabin. I try to push on the door, but it seems jammed. Outside the car, divers are also trying to unjam the door to let me out, but are unable to do so. Admittedly, it's a chilling moment. I grab for the emergency air supply left in the front seat, rush it to my mouth and wait nervously for the car to be hoisted out of the water with me still inside, breathing, waiting, and with a much better understanding now of how important it is to know the basics, how to act fast and how to get out alive.</s>SANCHEZ (on camera): What we try to do, as I'm sure you've probably noticed, is tell stories from the inside out. What we've done this week with three scenarios -- both the fire, being lost at sea and now this, a car in a canal or waterway -- is show these scenarios that oftentimes people have not been able to walk way from. In essence, we're trying to show what officials say you can do it. Here's what we learned. What we learned is that there's a common thread through all of these and that is simply this: if you practice, if you have a sense of what you might need to do in one of these scenarios, it's not going to guarantee that you're going to survive, but what it certainly will do is, it will increase your odds. I'm Rick Sanchez. Anderson, back to you.</s>COOPER: Rick, I was interested to learn that if you -- your electric window will actually continue to operate in most cases.</s>SANCHEZ: Interesting story I heard from many of these divers who actually weekly go down and look for cars that have either been stolen or have ended up under water. They say they've gone down there days after the car went in and they've found the radio blaring and the lights still on.</s>COOPER: Wow.</s>SANCHEZ: Goes to show, that battery does stay on for quite a while.</s>COOPER: Good to know. Rick Sanchez, thanks very much. You know, sometimes you -- when you're talking on television, you just find yourself in a sentence you can't get out of and it doesn't make any sense. I had that experience right -- introducing Rick's piece. Take a look.</s>COOPER: We asked Rick Sanchez to find out exactly how to get out of a car that goes into a pile of water.</s>COOPER: Pile of water? What was I talking about? Sorry. 360 next, the dangers of cheerleading. Experts say the pressure to perform can lead to catastrophic injuries. We're going to introduce you to a former cheerleader who got hurt. She shares her story ahead. We'll be right back. Pile of...