Firefighter/paramedics and divers work to help a victim that was just removed from an SUV that was submerged in a pond (PHOTO CREDIT: Bethany Detert).
UPDATED ARTICLE: The Cardinal Arlington Heights Man Dies After SUV Hits Townhouse, Electric Transformer and Sinks in Pond
Arlington Heights police and firefighter/paramedics responded about 7:00 AM Thursday to a report of a car into a pond in the block of 1500 Courtland Arlington Heights, IL. Police and firefighter/paramedics received a report that an SUV was in a pond. Police and firefighters responded immediately and called for mutual aid from neighboring fire departments and dive teams.
IMPORTANT:
How to Survive Your Vehicle Submerged in Water: No Time to Waste Calling 9-1-1; Get Window Open
A neighbor said a police officer jumped into the pond, but the car immediately became submerged and was too deep for the police to reach the SUV — 2013 Cadillac SXR.
VIDEO: Dive Teams working with mutual aid response for an attempt to rescue 89-year-old Henry E. Laseke.
Within 30 minutes fire department dive teams had the victim out of the vehicle and the victim on shore. Hillside Towing of Arlington Heights was also on the scene for the rescue and hoisted the car with a line, which brought the SUV to the surface.
Divers immediately broke a passenger side window and removed the victim from the vehicle. The driver was later identified as Henry E. Laseke, age 89, of the 1500 block of Courtland Drive.
The victim was transported in life-threatening medical condition to Northwest Community Hospital related to being submerged in water. Laseke was pronounced dead about 11:00 a.m. today.
Before hitting the water of the pond, the vehicle struck a ComEd ground transformer and a support beam to a second-floor deck. The collisions caused a fire in the transformer and the deck became unstable. The support beam was dragged to a point near the shore of the pond.
Another crew setup sidescan sonar to look for any other possible victims that may have escaped the vehicle, but may have still been in the pond. No other persons were found in the water.
Firefighter/divers from Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg and other communities assisted Arlington Heights firefighters and divers.
Map of area where SUV was submerged in a pond …
Firefighters extinguish and cool down a ComEd ground transformer after it was on fire and ignited when it was hit by an SUV that ended up in a pond (PHOTO CREDIT: Bethany Detert).
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30 minutes was way too long to respond to this situation. The man has now died.