Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PORTLAND, Maine — An elderly woman who drove her car into Portland, Maine's harbor was pulled to safety by Good Samaritans on Friday.
Katie Nelson of Biddeford was having lunch when she saw a car speeding by and then heard a crash.
She went outside to see what had happened, and saw 84 year-old Ursula Nixon's car in Portland Harbor.
Nelson wasted no time jumping into the water to help.
She climbed onto the car and in the rear window.
I don't want to die in here, I'm going to drown.
–Car rescue victim
"I just remember pulling myself up and and looking in at her and there was water all in the front of the car and she was in the front seat," Nelson said. "So I just, I said, 'Hi I'm Katie,' and she's like, 'I don't want to die in here, I'm going to drown.' And I'm like, 'No, no you're not. You're going to grab my hands and we're going to pull you out.'"
One of the other people in the water held Nelson's legs so that she could pull Nixon from the car.
Rescue workers then carried Nixon to shore.
Police are still investigating what caused the crash.
