Chattanooga woman dies after driving into pond

UPDATE:

The driver in this incident passed away at the hospital, according to the Chattanooga Police Department.

Police say they arrived on scene just before 10 a.m. on Thursday to find the vehicle already submerged in the water. Authorities said the incident happened in the 1500 block of Heritage Landing Drive.

CPD said the woman was 84 years old. She died after EMS took her to a hospital.

Police believe she put her car in drive, and then drove through her garage wall. They say she then drove 35 feet, into the pond behind her home. The car started taking water and drifting toward the center of the pond, CPD said.

The Hamilton County Special Tactics and Rescue Service extracted the woman from her car.

In addition, the CPD Traffic Unit will continue to investigate the incident.

EARLIER:

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — An elderly woman drove her car into a pond in Chattanooga on Thursday morning, and she is now going to the hospital.

Pond near Constitution Drive (Chattanooga Fire Department)

At around 10 a.m., 911 learned of a car submerged in a residential man-made pond. This was behind homes in a Constitution Drive neighborhood.

An elderly woman apparently drove through the wall of her garage and into the pond, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department (CFD).

Many people tried to free the woman as her car was sinking, including construction workers that were in the area. But the fire department said the workers were unable to do so, because their tool belts weighed them down in the deep water.

By the time firefighters arrived, the car was completely underwater, CFD said.

However, divers made entry into the car and extricated the woman. The CFD said EMS was taking her to the hospital.

In addition, firefighters will also assist a tow truck in pulling the car from the water.