Passersby pulled a woman to safety after her vehicle plunged into a holding pond during the peak of Tuesday's morning rush hour.
The woman was navigating the ramp from southbound Hwy. 169 to eastbound I-494 on the border of Eden Prairie and Bloomington when her SUV slid off the pavement and landed in the water at 8:12 a.m.
The front end of the vehicle was submerged, but the back end remained above water, a Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic camera showed.
The driver, whose name has not been released, used a fire extinguisher in her vehicle to break a rear window. By then, other motorists had stopped, and one helped the woman get out of the vehicle, the Minnesota State Patrol said.
"The good Samaritan risked his life and walked out onto the very thin ice to help pull the woman from her rapidly sinking car," the patrol said.
Traffic cameras caught the action as staff in MnDOT's Traffic Management Center watched.
"Somebody grabbed a plastic pallet and pulled her out," a spokesman in MnDOT's Traffic Management Center said.
The woman, the lone occupant of the vehicle, was taken to a hospital for treatment, the Bloomington Fire Department said.
She was not hurt in the initial crash into the pond but was injured from crawling through the broken glass, the patrol reported.
As a reminder, the patrol said anyone in a sinking vehicle should quickly roll the windows down.
If that is not possible, smash the windows with an item such as a flashlight.
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
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