‘Don’t die on me, man!’ Citizen rescues driver from sinking car in Hamilton Harbour

The man laying on the roof of the sinking car was breathing, but there was no life in his eyes.

Leaning over him, Shawn Farquharson had lost all feeling in his legs. His grey long johns providing no protection from the icy waters of Hamilton Harbour.

What he was feeling was a tightening grip of panic in his chest.

I need a f---ing paramedic, man! I don't know what I am f---ing doing here!," Farquharson screamed to a group of people watching from the shore at Bayfront Park boat launch Thursday night.

Farquharson had leapt into the water to pull the unresponsive driver from a car that had inexplicably plowed into the water. The 26-year-old from Fisherville has no CPR training, but the driver wasn't breathing. He had to do something.

I just did what I have seen people do in the movies," he said Friday afternoon, still overwhelmed and shaken by the incident recorded on a video that has been seen nearly 6,000 times on YouTube.

He started breathing a little but his eyes were dead, just sort of staring up into the sky. I was starting to panic because I wanted to make sure he keep on breathing, you know?"

The ordeal started for Farquharson with some late-night fishing with a friend. Around 9:30 p.m., they noticed something bizarre about 25 meters away.

There was a power out, so all the lights around us were out," he said. All we saw were the headlights coming down toward the boat ramp. The car just never stopped and went right in."

That is when Farquharson's friend started filming.

Only the car's lights, slowly dropping below the surface of the water, are visible.

No one was getting out of the car, so the pair ran over to take a closer look.

In the 60 seconds it took for them to get to the boat ramp, the front of the white compact car was submerged and the cab was filling up with water.

In the video, Farquharson and others on the dock repeatedly shout at the driver to get out of the car. But the man was unable, or unwilling, to do so.

All we could see were his hands. He kept moving things around at first, like he was searching through his car and whatnot and trying to start it again," Farquharson said. You actually might be able to hear him in the video when he says the car won't start. And I am saying to him It's underwater. It's not going to start.'"

The driver manages to pry open his door but doesn't leave the vehicle. The water rises over his head.

Air bubbles from the driver quickly vanish.

Oh my god, he's going to die. Someone's got to go in!" shouts one of the bystanders.

I can't swim," says another.

Doing the math, it really was just down to me," Farquharson told The Spectator.

He stripped off all his clothes save for his long johns and socks. His friend gave him a pair of large scissors from his fishing kit in case he needed to cut the seatbelt.

This is going to be cold," Farquharson said, and took a running leap off the dock into the dark waters illuminated only by the flashlights of a few cellphones.

In the moment, my only thoughts were a little bit of annoyance and a lot of calculation about how far I could jump. I thought if I could land on the hood, I would not get too wet and cold," he said. Obviously, you can see, I didn't get that far."

Scrambling out of the water and onto the roof of the car, Farquharson reached into the darkness to feel for the seatbelt. It wasn't around the motionless driver. He could pull him free.

I went to pull him out, but his arm got caught on the seatbelt," he said. That's when you see me get my arms under both of his and start pulling them out of the car. At first, honestly, I actually had to grab him by his head."

Farquharson dragged the driver onto the roof and lowered his ear to man's mouth. There was no air.

Don't die on me, man!" Farquharson shouts and with his friend urging him from the shore, starts chest compressions and pouring his breath into the driver.

Three compressions. Then a breath. Then three more compressions and a breath. The car continued to sink.

Please!" Farquharson shouts on the video. Come on! Come on! Wake up! Breathe!"

The driver's chest started to move, but his eyes were still. He wasn't speaking. With the water gathering around them both, Farquharson desperately calls for help.

Within moments, a Hamilton police officer leaps into the water.

That was huge. It was just so huge. He was amazing," Farquharson said. I am not that big a guy and there was no way I could drag this guy out of the water to shore on my own."

Just over two minutes passed between the time Farquharson jumped into the water to when he was joined by the police officer.

A moment later, a small boat with a police sergeant aboard approaches gingerly to avoid hitting the submerged car. The driver, officer and Farquharson were finally pulled from the water.

Chilled to his core, Farquharson was wrapped in an emergency blanket by paramedics and then put on the dry clothes he left and the dock. He tucked some hot packs into his Crocs to warm up his numb toes.

I just did what needed to be done, honestly," said Farquharson. I'm just glad that guy was breathing."

The driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

An investigation into the crash is ongoing and police have not ruled out any possible contributing factors.

-With files from Nicole O'Reilly

Grant LaFleche is an investigative reporter with The Spectator. Reach him via email: glafleche@torstar.ca