Woman, 79, plucked from submerged vehicle
San Diego Fire and Rescue Department personnel and the San Diego Harbor Police Department rescued a 79-year-old woman from the San Diego Bay near the Southwestern Yacht Club at Qualtrough Street after the small SUV she was driving went into the water on Jan. 8 at about 2:30 p.m., according to Harbor Police.
“There were a couple of witnesses on scene trying to rescue her as well but they were unable to get access into the vehicle,” said Harbor Police Sgt. Dave Houser.
When rescue personnel arrived, the vehicle appeared to be submerged under as much as five feet of water, Houser said.
Using special tools, rescuers were able to dive down and break the windows to access the vehicle. They felt around in the zero-visibility water until they found the woman’s body pinned to the roof the submerged vehicle and pulled her onto the shore, Houser said.
It is estimated she may have been underwater as long as 10 minutes, he said.
Paramedics performed CPR before transporting the unidentified woman to a hospital, where doctors were able to get a heartbeat.
Harbor police are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident. However, investigators think the woman might have accidentally shifted into drive instead of reverse before stepping on the gas, causing her to plunge forward into the bay, Houser said.
E-waste recycling event slated Saturday
Recycle San Diego is hosting a free e-waste recycling event with half of the proceeds being donated to I Love a Clean San Diego (ILACSD) Saturday, Jan. 12.
The electronics recycling center will accept computers and monitors, laptops, televisions, cellular phones, household batteries and printer cartridges.
Recycle San Diego is located at 7716 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. For information call (858) 569-1807 ext. 103.
Poll volunteers needed for February primary
The County of San Diego Registrar of Voters is asking the public to help staff voting sites throughout the county for the presidential primary election on Feb. 5, the earliest date California has scheduled its presidential primary in decades.
According to a press release, 6,500 registered voters are needed as volunteers, including the following bilingual staff: 994 who speak Spanish and English, 256 who speak Filipino and English and 157 who speak Vietnamese and English.
In addition to the presidential primary, poll workers are also needed for the direct primary on June 3 and general election on Nov. 4, which means the Registrar of Voters must fill almost 20,000 poll worker positions this year.
Poll workers receive a stipend of $75 to $150 depending on the assignment; bilingual workers get an additional $15. All workers are provided training, including a new online component to reinforce lessons from the classroom manual.
For more information, visit www.sdcounty.ca.gov/voters/Eng/Eindex.html or contact the Registrar of Voters office Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (858) 565-5800 or after hours at (858) 694-3480, or e-mail at [email protected].