Dog Trapped in Overturned, Submerged Car for 20 Minutes Miraculously Survives

Car crashes involving dogs rarely go well. Whether the dog escapes from the car during the accident and runs off or is the one causing the accident on the road, things generally don’t end well for them in major accidents.

Which is why this particular rescue is so surprising.

When a sports car flipped over into a canal in Crawford Township, North Carolina, shortly before 1 a.m. on June 12, there was a person and a dog inside.

The driver made his way out of the car, but the dog was nowhere to be found — until firefighters heard a sound coming from the vehicle.

The Crawford Township Volunteer Fire Department of Currituck, NC, shared photos and their side of the dog’s amazing story of survival.

“Crawford Township Volunteer Fire Department received a call at 12:56 this morning for an overturned vehicle in the canal in the 200 Blk Shawboro Road, Moyock,” they posted on June 12.

“We arrived on scene and the convertible sports cars driver was out. The owners dog was still missing.

“We heard a whimpering sound in the car.

“Awesome teamwork to our volunteers and assistance from Lantz Towing. We immediately overturned the car to gain access. Even though the car was upside down in the water for 20 minutes, we recovered the dog under the dash floorboard where there was an air pocket.

“The dog was rescued with no apparent injuries. North Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the accident and driver was taken to the detention center.”

In the comments, one person confirmed that while the dog couldn’t be taken back by its owner, since the driver was being detained, other family members came to pick it up.

The fire department also shared that the tow truck driver was “a member of the department” and responded to the scene early, making the rescue timely and efficient.

Plenty of commenters wondered aloud what in the world the driver was doing on the road at that hour with a dog in tow and had some strong words about people risking a pet’s life in that way.

But most of the commenters simply wrote to thank the fire department and tow truck operator for moving quickly and saving the little dog who’d found a way to survive the serious accident.