COOPER CITY, FLA. (WSVN) - A 23-year-old woman lost her life after her car slammed through a guardrail and plunged into a canal in Cooper City.
The incident happened in the area of Griffin Road and Southwest 90th Avenue, at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday.
It appeared that the car was traveling west on Griffin Road when it collided with the concrete guardrail and ended up in a canal.
After receiving reports of the crash, Broward Sherriff’s Office deputies and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue units responded to the scene.
“Around 6 a.m. this morning, Broward Regional Communications received a report of a vehicle in a canal along this area of Griffin Road in Cooper City,” said BSO spokesperson Carey Codd.
The mother of the deceased and BSO identified the victim as Caitlynn Heron.
According to detectives, Heron and her boyfriend, 24-year-old Joseph Foster, were inside the vehicle at the time of the crash. Heron was driving and Foster was in the passenger seat.
Foster was able to free himself and make it out of the vehicle. He was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Heron remained pinned inside, which prompted urgent search-and-rescue efforts by crews.
“An adult male, who was a passenger in that car, was able to make it out of that vehicle. An adult female who was driving the vehicle was not able to make it out,” said Codd.
7Skyforce hovered above the scene, as BSO’s divers swam through the murky waters, scouring the east and west sides of the bridge. Heron was later pronounced dead inside the car.
“A very tragic and heartbreaking situation,” said Codd. “I don’t know all the circumstances of exactly what unfolded, the nuts and bolts of it was happening inside that vehicle, but I do know that they pronounced her deceased in the water.”
Heron’s mother, Blanche Pastore, arrived at the scene on Wednesday morning to confront the horrible news.
“She was just a beautiful person, she was a hard worker. That was my baby girl,” said Pastore. “That was my youngest daughter.”
7News cameras captured Heron’s mother and sister embracing at the scene as they held each other up during the tragedy. A chaplain was also seen praying with the family.
“She had so many plans for the future,” Pastore said. “She was going to start 2025 off great. She was saving money, paying for her car and being responsible. She was a beautiful person, and I just pray to God, He’s got his arms around her right now.”
The video also showed the fuel from the car settling on the water’s surface, part of the concrete barrier missing and crumbled pieces of cement blocks.
A heavy-duty tow truck arrived at the scene to pull the car out of the water and retrieve the woman’s body. A diver went into the water and attached a secured cable from the tow truck to the car.
Aerial views from 7Skyforce showed the moments the car was pulled from the canal, as well as deputies covering the woman’s body with a yellow trap.
There was a substantial amount of damage to the front of the car, and crews used the Jaws of Life tool, among others, to safely remove the body.
“They are trying to talk to anyone who might have seen something, try to locate any type of video that might be available to try and piece together the chain of events that led to the car going into the waterway,” Codd said. “Our hearts go out to the family of the young woman who died here today and to all those who know and care about her.”
Officials are now investigating what led up to the crash. They are also talking to Foster to piece together what happened.
Heron’s family shared on social media that loved ones will hold a memorial at a restaurant in Davie on Friday.
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