x
Breaking News
More () »

2 cars end up in pond in St. Johns County; everyone escaped

Two cars and a total of two people left the ramp from International Golf Parkway and ended up in a pond just after 4 p.m. on Monday.

A woman is calling an off-duty Clay County Firefighter her "angel" after he saved her from a pond. She was in a car crash that sent her and another car into the water.

It happened on the Southbound ramp off the I-95 exit on International Golf Parkway at around 4 pm.

One of the drivers, Racquel Domingo, said she cannot swim, but with the help of a good Samaritan, no one was injured. There were no passengers in their cars.

“I jumped out, and I grabbed her back right as she jumped out, and dragged her back to the bank and by the time we got back to the bank, her vehicle was completely submerged,” said Lt. Jerome McIntee, the off-duty Clay County Firefighter.

Domingo was driving onto the ramp when Florida Highway Patrol says another driver failed to yield, sending both of them down the hill and into the pond.

Minutes later, Lt. McIntee drove by.

"I'm looking around and there's no lights, no one with emergency services,” he said. "I look over to the side and there are two cars in the water. One of them was 40-50 feet out of the water, another one was like in the middle of the lake about 100 feet in."

He jumped in and pulled Domingo out of her car, right before it was fully submerged. The second driver was able to swim to shore.

“It was the first step in, up to my waist, and then I didn't touch the floor the rest of the time,” said Lt. McIntee.

It's possible, without the help of Lt. McIntee, Domingo would have drowned. "When I was leaving she gave me a hug and it felt very good to know that she was ok, and everything was good,” he said.

Before You Leave, Check This Out