Ill. Police Officers Save Trapped Driver from Submerged Vehicle

Hoffman Estates police officers entered cold water and needed to cut a seat belt to free and rescue a driver from a partially submerged vehicle after it ended up in a retention pond.
March 12, 2026

What to know

  • Hoffman Estates police rescued two people Wednesday after their vehicle became submerged in a retention pond.
  • Officers entered the water when they learned the driver was trapped and unresponsive, and an officer had to cut her seatbelt and pull her from the partially submerged vehicle.
  • Both the driver and passenger were taken to the hospital in stable condition.

By Rebecca Johnson

Source Chicago Tribune


Hoffman Estates police are investigating after officers rescued two people after their vehicle submerged in a northwest suburban retention pond Wednesday evening, according to the northwest suburban police department.

Police said they responded just before 5 p.m. to reports of a vehicle submerged near 5333 Prairie Stone Parkway, at the northwest corner of Hoffman Boulevard and Pratum Avenue.

When police arrived, a male passenger was outside the vehicle, which was partially submerged in a retention pond. Officers then entered the water after they learned the driver, a woman, was trapped inside and unresponsive.

An officer was able to get inside the vehicle, cut the woman’s seatbelt and remove her from the vehicle, the news release said.

Both the driver and passenger were transported to Saint Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates in stable condition, police said. 

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