‘She was unconscious’: Good Samaritan rescues woman trapped inside sinking car in Conway

CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - It was a man’s quick thinking and knot-tying skills that he learned as a Boy Scout that helped rescue an unconscious woman trapped inside a partially submerged car.

“I just didn’t want her to go any further into the water and I certainly didn’t want a bad situation to get any worse,” said Jason Douglas, who rescued the woman.

City of Conway officials said the car went into the pond in front of the Wild Wing Plantation clubhouse Monday afternoon.

Douglas said he was working on construction in the neighborhood when it happened. Another person was already in the pond trying to wake up the woman when he pulled up.

“I jumped in the water and he was already knee-deep in the water and we were trying to get her out of the car and couldn’t open any of the doors,” he said.

The car was sinking further and further into the pond. The water was rising inside.

“This is the point where I was getting nervous,” he said. “Her face was getting closer to the water and she was unconscious.”

Thinking on his feet, Douglas grabbed extension cords from his truck.

He used a square knot technique he learned decades ago as a Boy Scout to tie the cords together, making them long enough to attach one end to his truck and the other end to the woman’s car.

Eventually, Douglas was able to bust one of the car windows and grab the keys from the ignition.

“I just wanted to make sure she was breathing,” he said.

Shortly after, Conway and Horry County Fire Rescue crews arrived and were able to pull the woman from the car.

Douglas, who’s also a Boy Scout leader, said the square knot is one of the most frequently used scouting knots. He said the rescue shows his troop how important they can be in real-world situations.

“It’s fun and they get to build really cool stuff, but now they get to see how it can come in handy to do something a little more serious,” Douglas said.

Officials with Horry County Fire Rescue said the woman was taken to a local hospital with injuries. They couldn’t say why the car ended up in the pond.

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