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Bentley sinks at Sandbanks: Owner recounts 'lucky' escape | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Robert Hill has described the moment his car plunged from the Ferry Way Car Park at Sandbanks | |
A man who was plucked from the sunroof of his sinking Bentley by passers-by has described how "it went down and under the water like a submarine". | |
Robert Hill, 72, recounted the moment when his car plunged from the Ferry Way Car Park at Sandbanks, in Poole, Dorset, shortly before 17:15 BST on Tuesday. | |
A number of local anglers and nearby pedestrians jumped into the harbour to help pull Mr Hill from the car shortly before it sank. | |
He was taken to hospital and said he was convinced he was going to have "an end the same as Titanic". | |
Watch: A passenger on the Sandbanks ferry captured the moment a man was rescued from a car in the water | Watch: A passenger on the Sandbanks ferry captured the moment a man was rescued from a car in the water |
Mr Hill, who had the car valeted the day before at the cost of £100, was out for an early evening drive when he parked his car opposite the Haven Hotel. | |
He said he was taken by surprise when it lurched forward over the curb and into a bench, thinking: "Well this is going to be an expensive bill." | |
Mr Hill said moments later the car made a loud bang and continued over the edge into the water. | |
The bronze Bentley Flying Spur, registered in 2013, would have cost more than £150,000 brand new and had just recently passed it's MOT, according to the DVLA. | |
The car was lifted back ashore from the seabed on Tuesday night by a crane | The car was lifted back ashore from the seabed on Tuesday night by a crane |
Mr Hill told the BBC the car went under the water and floated back up to the top. | |
He said he unsuccessfully tried to to open the electric windows, before remembering he had left the sunroof open. | |
"I was just pushing myself up and I saw three figures in the water, all coming towards me, all trying to get to me," he said. | |
Mr Hill said the rescue party pulled him out of the sunroof, and he felt: "Very, very lucky... and very sad at the same time." | |
People jumped into the water to help pull Mr Hill from the car before it sank | |
A Poole Harbour Commissioners spokesperson said: "We would like to take this opportunity to commend the swift and selfless efforts of those individuals who assisted the gentleman from his car." | |
The port authority said it used a hydrographic survey vessel to find the car on the seabed before divers and a crane were used to pull it back up to the surface. | The port authority said it used a hydrographic survey vessel to find the car on the seabed before divers and a crane were used to pull it back up to the surface. |
It is not the first time a car has gone into the water near the ferry at the beauty spot. | It is not the first time a car has gone into the water near the ferry at the beauty spot. |
In 2014, a woman was rescued from a passing boat after accidentally driving her car into the water. | In 2014, a woman was rescued from a passing boat after accidentally driving her car into the water. |
You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. | You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. |
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