SHAFTER, Calif. | Monday, at approximately 5:55 p.m., Kern County firefighters were dispatched to reports of a vehicle in a canal near the intersection of W Lerdo Highway and Scaroni Ave. Due to the nature of the call, a reinforced rescue response was initiated to provide additional personnel and specialized equipment.

Upon arrival, firefighters encountered a chaotic scene involving many bystanders, damaged vehicles, and broken utility poles. A two-vehicle crash had occurred, with one vehicle coming to rest in a roadside sump, partially submerged in water.

Good Samaritans were in the water assisting one trapped occupant, working to keep their head above the surface until rescuers arrived. Firefighters entered the water, freeing one individual trapped beneath the water inside the vehicle. A second patient pinned inside was then extricated using the Jaws of Life and other rescue tools, operated largely by feel in the murky water. 

Both patients were transported by ground ambulance with life-threatening injuries.

The Kern County Fire Department commends the swift and selfless actions of the bystanders who assisted before emergency crews arrived.