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Posted on Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 1:19 p.m.

Woman rescued after driving onto frozen lake by mistake

By John Counts

DexterRescue1.jpg

Rescuers work to save a woman who accidentally drove her car onto Portage Lake Sunday.

Courtesy of Amy Conway O'Brien

A woman rescued Sunday from a car partially submerged in a Washtenaw County lake thought she was still on the road when she drove onto the frozen body of water, fire officials said.

Rescuers got the woman to safety from her Monte Carlo, which was stuck on thin ice about 400 to 500 feet from shore on Dexter Township's Portage Lake .

The woman was driving on McGregor Road when she went off onto McGregor Lane and then onto the lake around noon Sunday, said Lt. Tim Burke of the Dexter Area Fire Department.

Amy Conway O'Brien, an area resident who lives on the lake, said the car drove off McGregor Lane, through one of her neighbor's backyards before ending up on the ice.

Burke said the woman, who was described as about 24 years old and from the Dexter area, thought she was still on the road at first. When she realized she wasn't on the road, the woman told fire officials she tried driving across the lake.

"She said she got lost," Burke said. "She got out onto the ice and panicked."

O'Brien said she immediately called 911.

The ice on most of the lake is "pretty thick," Burke said, but there is a spring that feeds into it which leaves some areas open. O'Brien said the Monte Carlo ended up near an area of open water where a dozen swans generally congregate.

"I saw the swans move out of the way as the car approached the hole," O'Brien said. "Then the car drove right into the opening."

The back of the woman's car was submerged when fire crews and the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office Dive Team arrived, Burke said.

Three rescuers in wet suits dragged a rope out to the woman and safely brought her to shore. She was uninjured, but quite shaken up, Burke said.

The car was later towed ashore with minor damages, he added.


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John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

Comments

Bertha Venation

Wed, Feb 20, 2013 : 1:43 p.m.

Here's another one: "Drove my Chevy to the Levy, but the levy was".... er... uhhhh.... oh ya... Nevermind.

mady

Wed, Feb 20, 2013 : 4:33 p.m.

Bertha, i am trying not to laugh too hard as I am at the downtown A2 library and it needs to be quiet up here on the second floor but it's proving to be somewhat of a challenge.....! better go to the potty before I wet myself!!!!

James

Wed, Feb 20, 2013 : 4:45 a.m.

The author of this article notes the depth of the water in some sort of reply....remarkable journalism.

Alan Goldsmith

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 8:27 p.m.

Yeah, this is pretty funny stuff. Glad the reporters are having such a great time with a near tragedy. Yeah, how very 'nuts'.

CONCERNED CITIZEN

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 6:05 p.m.

My daughter lives on Mc Gregor Lane, this driver obliterated her dock, that had been removed for the winter and was on shore. She also drove over several steel poles that are permanently in the water. There is no way that any sober, intellegent person could do what she did and not be aware of it. Even if you thought driving off the road through a yard could happen, how could you not notice a 5 foot stack of dock sections? I think this young woman realized the damage she had done and thought she would drive away as quickly as possible before someon spotted her! It is either this scenario or she needs her license taken away immediately. I sure hope she was ticketed!

Kitty O'Brien

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 10:06 p.m.

Concerned Citizen - Your daughter needs to contact Lt. Tim Burke. He was unsure how the driver accessed the lake. I followed the tracks from the hole back to your daughter's yard which is how I knew where the Monte Carlo accessed the lake. I have a photo (which John Counts has yet to post) of the opening with the entry tracks leading from your daughter's home. John also has my contact information.

justcurious

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 6:35 p.m.

Wow! The story didn't tell us what you just did. I certainly hope the owners of the property get restitution for it. And I hope she is charged for destruction of property as well.

CobraII

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 4:03 p.m.

What was she smoking?

Bertha Venation

Wed, Feb 20, 2013 : 5:32 p.m.

HA! Good one, Kitty!

Kitty O'Brien

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 10:08 p.m.

Based on her demeanor and following the crash, definitely not weed.

buildergirl

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:21 p.m.

Going by the photos, the snow on the ground was pretty melted and you could tell it was grass. I was willing to give the benefit of doubt that it was difficult to see with snow; you were driving past boat lifts on grass and over a sea wall on to a clearly open and suddenly ice/snow covered space. Logically, even if lost, wouldn't that be a pretty good sign you are not on a road? How about swans swimming in open water? Unbelievable.

Bertha Venation

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 1:58 p.m.

uuuhhhhh... When Dinah Shore used to sing "Seeee the USA in your Chevrolet..." I don't think this is quite what she meant.

mady

Wed, Feb 20, 2013 : 4:29 p.m.

Bertha, wow, you fell in your grandma's grave?.....I won't ask for details, it sounds like something straight out of Edgar Allan Poe(see:"Fall of the House of Usher"). Yipes.

Bertha Venation

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 4:31 p.m.

My pleasure, Mady.... (don't EVEN ask about the time I fell in my grandmother's grave.... like I have room to talk about something like this!! :) )

mady

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:45 p.m.

Bertha, I'm guessing you're right. thanks for the laugh!

jackdaniels

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 8:01 a.m.

Wonder how far she would have made it had she not got stuck in that darn puddle....maybe she would took a canal up to Base line lake, thinking to herself "wow, this is a real scenic route"

Frustrated in A2

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 4:40 a.m.

Because the driver is ok it gives me the ability to literally laugh out loud!!!!

Unusual Suspect

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 4:25 a.m.

I think Kyle is making a reference to this.... http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/the-deuce/theyre-just-swans/

Kyle Feldscher

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 8:51 p.m.

Correct, Unusual Suspect. We have a lot of swan news by most standards.

Nicholas Urfe

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 3:41 a.m.

"I saw the swans move out of the way as the car approached the hole," O'Brien said. Newsflash: "Lake Swans smarter than than driver!"

Kai Petainen

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:50 a.m.

"Car Attempts Swan Dive" (Drive) "Drive By Swaning"

mady

Wed, Feb 20, 2013 : 4:26 p.m.

"Waaay down upon the Swannee river"...

Skyjockey43

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2 a.m.

For those of you who are so troubled by the negativity expressed by the majority of commenters here, I suggest looking at this story from another perspective. The fact that this woman was capable of such an extreme error that resulted in driving onto a frozen lake in the middle of the day putting herself and possibly any rescue personnel in danger, shows me that she is an unsafe driver. Whether she was distracted, intoxicated, or simply incompetent, these kinds of drivers are a danger to everyone. In 2011 there were 32,367 automobile fatalities in this country. So please forgive me if I feel absolutely zero sympathy for her that some people here are making a few jokes at her expense.

mady

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:43 p.m.

skyjockey, very, very well put. totally agree. ....I wonder if this area has Public transportation? it should.......

Tracie Cooper

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 1:20 a.m.

I don't fully understand how this could have happened myself, but it's pretty messed up that some of the Darwin-themed comments imply that this woman deserves to die. Sheesh. Even if she was drunk, texting, whatever, she doesn't deserve being condemned like this.

huh7891

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 1:48 a.m.

I agree, glad she is okay..and glad she had a witness..outcome could have been much worse.

kuriooo

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 1:05 a.m.

Wow, there are some really unkind comments on here.

jns131

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 4:38 p.m.

There is an actual song for people like this. It is in Japanese. Boca.

jackdaniels

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 1:10 a.m.

grow some skin, Nobody was seriously hurt other than an ego. Nobody is verbally attacking the driver, just making goofy comments to make other laugh.

G-Man

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:39 a.m.

Texting while driving is bad.......

Ann English

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:34 a.m.

That last photo in the slideshow reminds me of the meteorite that broke through a Russian lake recently. But minor damage to the car? Must mean far less damage than that which a FLOODED car would get.

Kitty O'Brien

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 6:49 p.m.

Ann - I took that photo. I estimate the driver was going at least 25 MPH on the ice which is likely what saved her vehicle from being totally submerged. The car cleared the first 6 - 8 feet of the opening because she was driving so fast. The front of her vehicle was up resting on the edge of the hole.

jackdaniels

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:15 a.m.

911 call would be a hoot to listen too.

jns131

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 4:30 p.m.

That reminds me of a movie that Alfred Hitcock made. Did they do a remake? Or is this a sequel?

Liss Miller

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:41 a.m.

"I think my two rear tires are flat, and there are swans ready to attack me!"

Brad

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:05 a.m.

Well who hasn't been lost in the middle of a frozen 725 acre lake at noon on Sunday?

jns131

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:27 a.m.

I love field trips, don't you?

eldegee

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:03 a.m.

Forrest Gump's mama was right.

Eep

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 11:46 p.m.

Two roads diverged in a yard, and I, I took the one that was a lake, And that almost led to submergence.

Liss Miller

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:39 a.m.

. . . And I took the one less traveled

Martha Cojelona Gratis

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 11:39 p.m.

Pretty ridiculous. They should really revise the driving test in this state.

Dan from Hell

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 11:15 p.m.

Really Folks... REALLY?!? Give Tara a break. Here she is minding her own busness, driving down McGregor Road. She asks her navigation system to take her to Darwin. It asks Award or Road? She's thinking "AWARD?, I din't know I could get an award. What the Heck? Take me to the Darwin Award." It is really the fault of those nasty people that were setting up the navgation system and noticed that the northern end of the lake has a road named Darwin. Sly little Devils. Butt seriously Tara, we are all glad that you made it out safe and sound.

Bertha Venation

Wed, Feb 20, 2013 : 1:47 p.m.

Excellent, Dan! Pure Genious! Say... my Brother lives in Hell.

Ann English

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:40 a.m.

It's been years since I took Dexer-Pinckney Road to D-19, but I never thought about where Darwin Road would lead to east of Dexer-Pinckney. Probably most of us know about it leading westward to Patterson Lake Road, which takes one to Hell.

tim

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 11:02 p.m.

Wow ---still alive and got her car back. Hope she made it to church next Sunday.

Ann English

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:37 a.m.

I thought about the Galilean Baptist Church not too far away from there, right on the other side of McGregor Road.

Tru2Blu76

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 10:02 p.m.

Oh look! Swans!! I'll drive over there and get a closer view. (LOL!) That's it: I'm putting my ice fishing equipment up for sale today. No sense in risking getting run down by drivers like this one while I'm out on the lake ice fishing. An ice fishing shanty would do no good; she'd probably mistake one of those for her garage and try to park her car in it. Thanks, John, for giving us all a good laugh. This one is a "classic" for sure. :-)

Kitty O'Brien

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 1:07 a.m.

These are valid points because if the Swan's pool hadn't stopped her then she would have driven into our ice skating area where my daughter and I were skating earlier in the day.

Ann English

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:43 a.m.

You got me imagining what would have happened if there were a hockey game being played in front of her. She would honk at the players. They would stop their game and tell her that they were not in an area where they shouldn't be, but she most definitely was.

stevek

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:58 p.m.

If I were her, I would avoid mountains as well.

jns131

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:26 a.m.

OMG! Too funny after the trip I took out west. Going from the black Hills to Yellowstone? OMG. Thank you. I needed this tonight. Now I can rest easy knowing I am not alone.

Jack Holsombeck

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:54 p.m.

Cant really blame GPS since she is from the area.

jns131

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:25 a.m.

The girl or the GPS? I am wondering which GPS product it was? This way I can avoid this product.

John Counts

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:45 p.m.

A comment on the Dexter Patch story about this incident left around 3 p.m. by "Tara" reads: "I'm the girl who crashed into the lake... I WAS SOBER!! I am NOT familiar with the area and I went off the road down the side street and i DID NOT know that it ended in a lake."

EyeHeartA2

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 5:31 p.m.

Yep, John, on the old interweb, you can be whomever you want to be. I think I'm gonna be a double naught spy now.

jns131

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:23 a.m.

If you did not know it ended at a lake but yet saw houses and a driveway, why did you not stop for directions? Or is this a way to prove you don't need to stop and ask directions? I have done dumb things before but crossing a lake? Priceless.

Liss Miller

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:38 a.m.

I hope you get a good laugh from your grandchildren when you tell them about this! Not funny now, probably.

justcurious

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:50 p.m.

Yikes. She should not be driving around alone. Needs a guide.

Joe Yekulis

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:37 p.m.

When I was in law enforcement years ago, we had a name for this. It's called DWHUA! I'll bet most of you who commented on this are smart enough to figure out what that's an acronym for, and that's probably what went in the comments section of her ticket.

djacks24

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:36 p.m.

Maybe she was trying to jump it and just landed extremely short?

jdevgrell

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:35 p.m.

As usual, the lack of compassion reflected in these comments is astounding. I'm an intelligent, law-abiding person, and I can easily imagine a scenario where something like this could happen, especially if I didn't have extensive years of driving experience. I'd be embarrassed and scared about it in retrospect, but it wouldn't be the first "stupid" accident I've caused or been involved in. I'm not sue if those who comment on annarbor.com stories represent a self-selecting crowd that share certain characteristics or not, but I'm saddened that whenever I read a story about some crime or unfortunate situation like this, the majority of comments completely lack empathy. Makes me sad to live here.

EyeHeartA2

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 5:30 p.m.

As long as we are imagining, I would imagine we are waiting for results from the lab.

dancinginmysoul

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 4:04 p.m.

J; welcome to the Internet. We're all experts here. But we have cookies so it's cool.

jdevgrell

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:28 p.m.

dancinginmysoul: I'm not critiquing the "questioning how something like this could have happened." In fact, I'm just as interested in that question as anybody. I'm critiquing the insulting nature of many of the comments above, implying that the driver must be stupid or completely incompetent. I'm not personally familiar with the roads in that area, but I have looked closely at the Google satellite images, and I could see a couple of potential areas where if there was snow covering the ground it's conceivable that one could get confused. I just don't understand why it's so hard for people to acknowledge that, unless you were in this driver's car, and indeed, in her mind, you don't really know exactly what transpired, and therefore it's inadvisable to rush to judgment. But I'm obviously expressing an extremely minority, radical opinion.

dancinginmysoul

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 10:50 a.m.

J: are you familiar with the roads and area this woman was driving in? Because I am. Questioning how something like this could happen does not lack empathy on my part.

Macabre Sunset

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 1:41 a.m.

jdevgrell, please keep a safe distance between your neocortex and other traffic while driving. Your comments are quite troubling. I don't really know what would cause the driving decisions Kitty described, but anyone capable of them should not be on the road.

Ann English

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 1:40 a.m.

I get the impression that you wouldn't choose to subscribe to a YouTube site whose name used any profane words. I wouldn't. The comments you read here are nowhere as cruel as the ones that follow a news story in Bellevue, Washington state, with the website address cited above, about three visitors RENTING a MERCEDES. And it was completely submerged at midnight. It was bad enough to read and view, but the comments posted there add insult to injury. Readers here won't laugh if some impressionable teenager tries doing this and freezes to death.

jdevgrell

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 11:02 p.m.

justcurious: This is something I hear often (or variations thereof): it makes no sense. Or, some people are evil/stupid/etc. I'm personally more interested in knowing the specific cause and effect relationships at work. What made a person, who obviously didn't want to end up half-submerged in a lake, engage in the sort of perceptual or cognitive errors that caused the outcome? Was it primarily distraction, low experience, environmental factors, or some combination of these and other things? Yes, I was involved in research at UMTRI, where we didn't take the subject of human error lightly. As scientists, we go on the assumption that situations like this most likely have serious and complex causes. But the interests being expressed in a lot of these comments reveals more of a desire to judge or be entertained, rather than explore the cause-and-effect relationships at work, or to even try to put oneself in the same situation. Once, I started driving the wrong way down a one-way street and almost hit someone. It was a combination of unfamiliarity with the area, inexperience, and poor road signage.

jdevgrell

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 10:54 p.m.

Sweet. Mine was the only comment posted to get a negative voter score. Not exactly the distinction I was looking for, but I'll take it nonetheless.

justcurious

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 10:53 p.m.

Comment not meant for you Kitty, ...jdevgrell. I guess they worked for UMTRI. So did I at one time. Still makes no sense.

jdevgrell

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 10:24 p.m.

Oops...meant "betrays" not "belies" (...whatever)

jdevgrell

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 10:20 p.m.

Notice also how every single one of the responses to my comment involved a personal jibe of some kind. That's the kind of ad hominem strategy that belies a poor sense of reasoning/argumentation, and like I said, it helps to illustrate my original point.

jdevgrell

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 10:15 p.m.

stevek: Here's my imagining: If the roads, the road boundaries, and the area between the road and the lake were snow-covered, if there were hills and/or curves in that area, if there were poor signage, and if the driver was unfamiliar with the area, then yes, it's not hard for me to imagine this scenario. I can also imagine the shutdown in my neocortex and rise in my body's fight/flight mechanism that would easily explain the following poor judgement to continue driving on the lake after realizing the error. Having spent many years in transportation safety research myself, I know how many of us are extremely poor decision-makers when we're on the road; it's much more common than you'd think. Was this example a particularly large series of mistakes? Certainly. Was it indicative of someone who's a moron? I doubt it.

stevek

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:56 p.m.

So, you can easily imagine someone with only 8 YEARS of driving experience could drive nearly the length of 2 football fields into a lake? Can you give me a ride sometime?

Kitty O'Brien

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:52 p.m.

A Social Worker? No but I am an avid bird watcher and I don't usually see Mute Swans move that quickly to get out of the way unless a boat is trying to hit them or in this case a car.

jdevgrell

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:48 p.m.

justcurious: I'm not a social worker at all. But, to me, the hallmark of a mature human being is one in whom the effort to cultivate empathy comes readily, and is seen as an important end in itself, regardless of the specific situation or context. With a 14-month old son at home, this is what I hope to help teach him how to do as he grows; to see himself as part of a larger human family, and to foster a forgiving attitude toward those around him. For, in the end, we're not that much different from the "criminals" behind bars, or the addict, or the "senseless" driver, or the crazy boss, or the insensitive spouse, etc. We all have our weaknesses, and our minds are all fairly crazy. ...Funny, I thought this was all pretty basic stuff that most people take for granted. But I see it's easy to get mocked for even espousing such opinions. Interesting, huh?

justcurious

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:41 p.m.

....""I saw the swans move out of the way as the car approached the hole," O'Brien said. "Then the car drove right into the opening."....are you a social worker by any chance?

jdevgrell

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:41 p.m.

Thanks djacks24, you just illustrated my point perfectly. :)

djacks24

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:38 p.m.

How about not reading the comments if they upset you so much? Or is it some kind of morbid curiosity that keeps you reading them?

Kitty O'Brien

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:33 p.m.

Off McGregor Road there's a private road between the public launch and Klave's Marina called McGregor Lane. McGregor Lane dead ends at a driveway followed by a nice size grassy yard between two lakefront homes. This lady drove her car down McGregor Lane, onto the driveway, through the yard, over a seawall and onto Potage Lake. She continued in a straight pattern until she drove into a small section of open water in front of my home where Mute Swans congregated as John noted. I saw it happen and took the photos. She is lucky to be alive. Thankfully this did not happen at night.

TommyJ

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 7:51 a.m.

If you took pictures you have to post them on line for us. This is nuts.

Ann English

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:50 a.m.

I thought the story had an amazingly good ending, both for her and for her car.

Andrea Zastrow

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 10:55 p.m.

You had me at "over a seawall."

justcurious

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:49 p.m.

I just checked and Google maps has it wrong. They show McGregor Rd. heading north off of McGregor Rd. and then McGregor Lane crosses running east and west. West to Klaves...Geez I hope she wasn't using Google GPS...naaaahhhhhh...no good excuse.

Major

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:21 p.m.

For another perspective of this incident.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdCNmAd3_HE

Ryan Martin

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:15 p.m.

Darwinism doesn't work 100% of the time.

Jayzoh

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:13 p.m.

Here's an instance where this actually happened, due to GPS directions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=a2QIH2uz3p8&feature=fvwp

Ann English

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 1:31 a.m.

The ending for the people involved there was much worse than for this woman. For the vehicle, too. That YouTube event took place in Washington state, across a small body of water from Seattle. And the comments following that story are cruel. People were NOT from that area, and got lost at midnight.

Homeland Conspiracy

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 11:33 p.m.

Someone beat you to it

Jim

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:12 p.m.

The one thing that would make this article complete is if they reported what color her hair was...

John of Saline

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 10:37 p.m.

Hairism. Scourge of our modern age.

A2comments

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:09 p.m.

When she realized she wasn't on the road any longer, she decided to drive across the lake. Okie dokie.

RuralMom

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:07 p.m.

I live a couple of miles from here, I sent this to my sister who lives even closer, and some neighbors. We have NO CLUE how she did that! Even with the best bent speculation, she had to know she was headed for water, just as she had to know she was going thru a backyard, not a dirt road on that portion of the road. No matter how we apply the benefit of doubt here, we don't want to be on the road when she is!

Ann English

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:53 a.m.

Yes, it feels different driving through a yard, which is not built for traffic. Her vehicle does not look like an all-terrain vehicle.

justcurious

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:39 p.m.

Could not agree more!

Lonnie

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:56 p.m.

I'm glad she wasn't out on the highway or roads in her state of confusion. Every day I see very poor driving on the Ann Arbor area roads, and this news story doesn't surprise me.

Bear

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:49 p.m.

Wait! She realized she was no longer on the road, but on the lake and she KEPT ON GOING????? Surely a Darwin award candidate. I mean, it doesn't take too much sense at that moment to TURN AROUND and go back the way you came. Also, I have to wonder how she figured she was still on the road in the first place, since she "drove through a neighbor's yard" according to a witness. That's right by Klave's marina. It leaves me speechless trying to figure out how someone could figure that there's a road there, going between houses so closely packed together, and then to keep going after realizing one's mistake. SMH, PTF. OMG..... Yeah, and then to drive towards the swans and open water..... oi!

Kitty O'Brien

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:07 a.m.

She was actually headed toward Darwin Road. No joke. Darwin Road borders the North side of Portage Lake.

PillowRock

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:56 p.m.

If I'm remembering right, she's not eligible for a Darwin Award because she did not remove herself from the gene pool.

Bababooey

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:36 p.m.

Any chance this is the same person who crashed into Panera last year?

Ann Dwyer

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:36 p.m.

Reminds me of the Office http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIakZtDmMgo

jns131

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:18 a.m.

I wonder if we should forward this to SNL?

Bear

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:02 p.m.

Ann, you are hilarious! But this is worse... http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=a2QIH2uz3p8&NR=1

dmalmquist

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:29 p.m.

That women really needs her driver's license yanked, for good. Unbelievable.

John Counts

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:21 p.m.

As the story indicates, the incident happened around noon. I asked Lt. Burke if substances were involved and he wasn't able to comment on that. As for the woman's name, officials were not releasing it. She hasn't been charged with any crimes as far as we know right now. If she was charged with a crime, we would only release the name if she was arraigned.

jns131

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:17 a.m.

All I can say is this. If there is a crime? It is one of the response team dying of laughter because they never saw nor heard anything like it in their lives. This includes the swans. Thank you for this story. It makes me realize that I can now attest to the fact I know of three people who could actually do this and live.

Ann English

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 12:57 a.m.

So this happened when Galilean Baptist Church was holding services., not too far from McGregor Lane.

Belisa

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:16 p.m.

she will prolly sue someone for putting a dangerous lake in her way ...

DeeDee

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:12 p.m.

Driving onto the lake.... Texting? DUI? Bad GPS day? Or just stupid? Deciding then to drive across the lake instead of backing up? I'm thinking at least two of the above.

Bear

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:04 p.m.

I'm thinking #3....

Judy

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:09 p.m.

What time of day did this happen? Why is the 24 year old driver's name being withheld? Was she sober? Just asking being the Dexter Fire Department had was called to the sence after the 911 call.

Kitty O'Brien

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 11:06 p.m.

She drove the lengths of at least 2 football fields across the lake, getting up to about 25 MPH without slowing down when she approached the open water. It was just after 12:30pm. I saw it and it was scary. She is very lucky.

Kyle Feldscher

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:21 p.m.

Judy- She hasn't technically been charged with any crimes, to our knowledge. Usually, when people are named, they've been formally arraigned on charges in court.

Blue Marker

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 7:32 p.m.

She'll have an excellent story to share for a long time. TG she's all right!

Sandra Samons

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 5:13 p.m.

The smartest thing would be to NEVER tell it. But then, it would have been even smarter to never do it in the first place!

Bear

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:05 p.m.

Don't worry, at the rate she's going, she's bound to be a Darwin Award winner soonter or later.

Top Cat

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 7:06 p.m.

How about texting or on the phone.....and not paying attention.

000999888

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 7:04 p.m.

LOL

Homeland Conspiracy

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 7 p.m.

And she did this sober...

Judy

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:05 p.m.

That is my quesiton the story does not say anything about testing her, why is her name being withheld? After all Dexter Fire Department had to be called.

John of Saline

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 6:52 p.m.

Or maybe she used Google Maps? http://xkcd.com/461/

Superior Twp voter

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 6:50 p.m.

They live amongst us, and vote.

John of Saline

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 10:36 p.m.

Relevant to your comment, steveK: http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1992-10-11/

stevek

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:48 p.m.

..and reproduce.

Bear

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:07 p.m.

Belisa, you've got me ROFL!

Belisa

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:15 p.m.

@a2x ... is that cause sometimes there's a lake in the way?

a2xarob

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 7:09 p.m.

In any given election, most do not vote.

jcj

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 6:57 p.m.

The voting is the scariest thing!

TheDiagSquirrel

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 6:49 p.m.

She was probably using GPS, and followed the directions she was given, lol

BlueEyesGirl

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 7:17 p.m.

Apple maps strikes again.

WalkingJoe

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 7 p.m.

Re-calibrating...Turn Now!

dancinginmysoul

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 6:42 p.m.

I don't even understand how you can be driving on a road, then through back yards, then onto ice. Did she attempt to just drive across the lake, because she seems pretty far out. I'm glad she is okay! This could have ended another way.

jns131

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:13 a.m.

I have to say the last line of your sentence I totally agree with. She was attempting to be pretty far out. On the lake that is. I guess I am still trying to make sense of this. Were there no signs? Didn't she see the house? OMG. What a strange story this is.

Bear

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:09 p.m.

yes, once she figured she was on the lake she decided "what the heck!" "Hey, let's go see what those swans are up to!"

John of Saline

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 6:35 p.m.

Distracted driving? "OMG I think I jst drve on a lake??"

Kyle Feldscher

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 6:31 p.m.

The only way this story could be more nuts is if there were swans in... wait, there were swans involved. Never mind.

you can't handle the truth

Tue, Feb 19, 2013 : 2:26 p.m.

@A2Hallie For how they police and filter these comments like the Chinese government, it would make sense to think that.

Kitty O'Brien

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:37 p.m.

The swans are actually happier because their swimming hole is a little bigger today.

Bear

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 9:10 p.m.

No, A2hallie, it is hitting the nail square on the head and driving it home!

A2Hallie

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:38 p.m.

KF, considering you're a reporter for www.annarbor.com/news, your comment seems a tad inappropriate and rude.

John Counts

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:17 p.m.

The lake in the area where the car ended up was about four feet deep, so that would make sense, Ann English.

Ann English

Mon, Feb 18, 2013 : 8:11 p.m.

Makes me wonder if swans prefer shallow water. I know the Huron River is shallow where I see swans regularly.

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