Strangers jump into canal to rescue 'shocked' Idaho woman from car crash

POCATELLO — On a not–so–typical Tuesday afternoon, a group of strangers sprang into action to rescue a woman from her partially submerged car.

Nate Lee, Mason Bates and a man EastIdahoNews.com has not been able to identify all entered the fast-moving waters of the canal along Hawthorne Road while Cassia Myers dialed emergency services to rescue Cindy Parker from her vehicle, which was filling up with water. Parker told police that just before, the driver of a black truck had cut her off, sending her careening into the canal.

The incident is under investigation by the Chubbuck Police Department.

When Myers saw Parker's car in the canal a little before 11:24 a.m., she at first assumed that no one was inside. She lives in the area by Homestead Street where the crash occurred, and it's not unusual for her to see a car in the canal.

But the car was still getting carried through the water, and it started to rotate.

"As it was spinning, it rotated right as I was passing it, and I saw that the woman was still in the car," Myers said.

Myers pulled over, slammed on her brakes, and got out of her car. She ran to the bank and then alongside the car as it flowed down the canal while she called 911. She told the operator that it looked like Parker was in shock, as her eyes were open, but she wasn't moving.

And then 16-year-old Bates leaped into the canal water "out of nowhere," from Myers' perspective, and swam right up to the car.

Bates, who had been driving home from the gym with his girlfriend before stopping their vehicle, said that he didn't have much time to think about the danger he was putting himself in by going into the canal.

"Right before I jumped in, I kind of thought of (the danger), but I kind of just put it to the back of my head. I didn't really have time to think, and to be like, 'Oh, should I do this? Should I not?'" Bates said.

By this point, the unidentified man had also entered the canal water, while Bates tried to talk to Parker to have her unlock her door. Bates could also see that Parker was in some state of shock.

As the car continued to rotate, Myers was afraid for Bates' safety.

"I was nervous that the car was going to catch him and pull him under. So I told him to swing to the other side of the car and try those doors, and he could not get them open," Myers said.

At this point, Myers began to fear that they wouldn't be able to get Parker out of her vehicle.

"God help us," Myers recounts thinking. "We need more than what we've got."

At this point, Lee pulled up on the scene in a work truck and jumped out.

"What do you need?" Lee called out, according to Myers.

"Do you have anything to break the windows?" Myers asked.

Lee pulled out a wrench from his truck and handed it to the unidentified man, who gave it to Bates. The teenager broke the window on the passenger side of the car, but he discovered that the door handle was broken.

Lee entered the water of the canal as well and used the wrench to break the glass on the driver side window. He tried to warn her that they had to break her window, but she was too shocked to respond.

"I tried to tell her, 'Look away, close your eyes. I'm about to break your window.' And she just couldn't respond. She was just shaking," Lee said.

Lee broke the window and cut her seat belt with a knife he carries with him every day, he said. He then instructed her to put her arm over his shoulder and pulled her from the vehicle, cutting his own arms in the process. From there, the three of them formed a chain and guided her to the bank of the canal.

Emergency services arrived at this point and helped the strangers get her up and out of the canal, also providing aid to Lee's cuts.

Parker did not require medical transport after the accident, but her vehicle was totaled. Her niece, Kinsey Bradshaw, posted a *GoFundMe campaign for her aunt to assist her after the incident.

While all four of the people who assisted in Parker's rescue were strangers to each other, they were grateful they worked together to help her in her time of need.

"I think we have a lot of great people in our community, and we were just able to get a lot of good people together to get this done quickly and de-escalate the situation fast," Bates said.

After the incident was resolved, Lee said that verses 12 and 13 from the Gospel of John, chapter 15, came to his head.

"Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends," Lee quoted.

Lee said that he felt inspired by the actions of Bates and the unidentified man, prompting him to take part in the rescue as well.

"Multiple people were willing to risk life and limb to help someone. I mean, it just showed the reflection of love that we should have for one another," Lee said.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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