On Tuesday, September 8th, the Will County Coroner’s Office said that the man who drove his vehicle into a retention pond on the far west side of Joliet, Illinois, died. 21-year-old Jacob Conrad of Plainfield was pronounced dead at AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center on Monday, September 7th.
The car accident report disclosed that the Labor Day incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. Chief Greg Blaskey of the Joliet Fire Department said they rescued the victim from 15 feet of water, and he was in critical condition.
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The fire department said that Conrad was in the area of Vision Avenue and Paradise Circle. The coroner’s office said it appears the man’s vehicle went off the roadway and submerged into the retention pond near the intersection. A witness reported that the car flipped over.
Blaskey said that Fire Stations 7, 8, 9, and 10, alongside on-duty and off-duty dive team members, responded to the 911 call. He added that the divers found the car upside down in the water, and they had zero visibility.
They used a tow truck to pull the vehicle to shore and free Conrad. The coroner’s office said the facts of the events leading to the crash remain unknown, but the Joliet Police Department is carrying out an investigation to determine the cause.
When a vehicle becomes submerged in water, the driver and other occupants must remain calm and take even and slow breaths. Wait for the water’s pressure to equalize, roll down or break a window to exit the vehicle, and only open the door after the water stops flooding the car.
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