HOMESTEAD, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida father came to his daughter’s rescue after their car crashed into a canal in Homestead, Monday morning.
A sudden swerve sent Fabian and Shanice Hing into the water, near Southwest 142nd Avenue and 312th Street.
Hours later, they shared their ordeal after having returned home from the hospital.
Her neck in a brace, Shanice struggled to hold back tears as she expressed her gratitude. “I am very thankful he was there because Lord knows what would have happened,” said Shanice. “I don’t think I would have gotten out of the car.”
Fabian said he wanted to make sure that his daughter was safe. “I kept telling her, ‘I got you. I got this. You’re going to be OK,'” he said.
According to Fabian, they were driving home when a falling palm tree forced them off the road. “I saw the palm tree snap and started to come down, and it fell right in front of the car,” he said.
“What are the chances of having a tree fall on you and end up in a canal? It’s crazy,” said Shanice.
The victims’ sedan then plowed through a guardrail and splashed into the water.
The vehicle could be seen under the water after they crashed into the canal. “The water started gushing in,” said Fabian.
“I just panicked. I’m like, ‘How am I going to get out the car?'” said Shanice.
Fabian said a similar accident that took place in Deerfield Beach, last week, immediately came to mind. In that crash, a boy survived but his mother died from her injuries.
It was up to him to become a first responder for Shanice. “I always said, ‘If that ever happened to me, I am going to make it out,’ and my main concern was my daughter,” he said.
Fabian said the only way he knew to get his daughter out of the car was to pull her into the back seat and then out the back window. “She kept calling, ‘Daddy,'” he said.
“I tried to swim, but he had his sneakers on, and they were weighing him down, so we were both like drowning in the water,” Shanice said.
With the help of a good Samaritan, Fabian was able to pull his daughter to safety. “As a father, you always care about your kids, no matter how big they get,” Hing said.
Shanice suffered a neck and shoulder injury. She credits her father for saving her life.
“I love him so much, and I’m so happy he got me out of that car, and we are both OK,” Shanice said.
The Hings’ car was eventually pulled out of the canal.
Homestead Police are investigating the crash.
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