A woman drove her convertible car into a large canal near Cooper and Frye Roads in Chandler. She was rescued by Chandler fire fighters. Video in the article.
On August 8, 2022, around 10pm, a woman drove her convertible car into an irrigation channel near Cooper and Frye Road. Fortunately her car stayed upright, which prevented a far more dangerous situation. The Chandler Fire Department and the Chandler Police Department were on scene to assist. Firefighters rescued the woman from the convertible car with the help of a fire engine. Firefighters used the ladder of the fire engine to bridge the gap between the sidewalk along the canal and the car in the water. They had opened the convertible roof of the car for easier access.
Video of the rescue - 1:30
A firefighter who had climbed into the car helped lift the woman onto the ladder. The ladder then swiveled around to drop her off on the sidewalk were a gurney was ready for her. She was transported away in an ambulance. Apparently, and fortunately, she was unharmed. The rescue forces left the car in the water for a tow truck to deal with at a later time.
The lady may have driven West on Frye Road, not knowing that the canal cannot be crossed in this location, and then tried to U-turn before her car slid into the water. However, Frye Road is not actually leading right up to the canal, it stops short of it. Another possibility is that the woman made a wrong turn on Pecos Boulevard driving West, turning right (North) onto the sidewalk next to the canal. Presumably she then drove along the narrow - for a car - sidewalk and eventually steered the car into the water. Tire tracks indicated that her car entered the water at a ~45 degree angle. The water filled up the car roughly to the top of the doors. Had the car flipped over, the situation would have been extremely dangerous for the lady. Fortunately this did not happen and apart from being a bit shaken and having gotten wet, she seemed fine.
