A Keremeos man is being hailed as a hero after he rescued a three-year-old boy who was trapped underwater in a car on the side of Highway 5A near Princeton last Saturday.

Brian Vanderlinde, who broke the back window of the vehicle with an axe and crawled inside to pull the toddler to safety, provided a written account of the story to The Spotlight.

Princeton truck driver Gary Lind assisted in the rescue. The men were aided roadside by an off-duty emergency room doctor who pulled over and helped resuscitate the child.

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Vanderlinde and his 12-year-old son came across the scene at about 3 p.m.

香蕉视频直播淚 saw a vehicle upside down in the creek. I opened my door to the woman frantically screaming 香蕉视频直播楳y son, My son!香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈�� said Vanderlinde.

The car香蕉视频直播檚 horn was incessantly blaring, he recalled.

香蕉视频直播淚 turned to my son and told him to call 911. When I ran over the bank I noticed a truck coming and waved my arms to get him to stop.香蕉视频直播�

Vanderlinde was hip deep in the frigid water and could not open the doors of the overturned car.

香蕉视频直播淟ooking up I saw the truck driver running and yelled at him: 香蕉视频直播榃e need a hammer.香蕉视频直播� He came back quickly with an axe and passed it to me over the car. I turned and smashed the window.香蕉视频直播�

Inside the car Vanderlinde could see most of the boy香蕉视频直播檚 body was suspended upside down, submerged.

香蕉视频直播淚 saw only a small lap in a car seat out of the water 香蕉视频直播� I searched under the water for what I thought would be shoulder straps 香蕉视频直播� I couldn香蕉视频直播檛 figure out the belts so decided to take the entire seat out and when I released the car seatbelt everything came loose.香蕉视频直播�

Vanderlinde passed the unconscious child to Lind, who began administering back blows and ran with him up the bank.

香蕉视频直播淲hen I moved over to them the driver told me he was breathing. Kneeling down beside them I could see bubbles coming from the child香蕉视频直播檚 mouth.香蕉视频直播�

While Vanderlinde was looking for dry clothes for the boy another car stopped on the scene, and a physician jumped out and began examining the child.

香蕉视频直播淪he began looking the child over when he spit and puked up water, waking up. Then you could hear the ambulance siren coming and it arrived.香蕉视频直播�

He described feeling 香蕉视频直播済reat relief.香蕉视频直播�

According to Princeton RCMP Sergeant Barry Kennedy, the boy had been underwater for about three minutes.

香蕉视频直播淭he doctors at Princeton hospital stated that it was a critical time to rescue the child at this point.香蕉视频直播�

The Similkameen Spotlight was unable to reach Lind.

The 21-year-old mother of the child, who lives in Princeton and who was driving the car when it flipped into the water, declined an interview, saying the situation was too traumatizing to discuss.

According to police the child was transported to Penticton General Hospital and has made a full recovery.