Family of man who drove car into Chandler lake grateful for teen who jumped in to save him
CHANDLER, Ariz. - Todd Buckner remains in the ICU, still intubated, after a medical emergency while driving that sent his SUV into a Chandler lake on Feb. 7.
A high school student named Ethan Cakmak was the first one to jump in after him as his father, Erkan Cakmak, called 911.
Todd had just dropped his wife off at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix before he crashed on the way home. His daughter Ally was in her college class in Florida.
"It's been a rollercoaster of emotions," Ally said. "I miss my dad a lot."
Ultimately, the Buckner family just wants to say thank you to Ethan.
"Just seeing that video of him doing that, was so heartwarming and really touched me because I was like wow, some stranger jumped in to try to save my dad. I watched the video of what he said, and he said, ‘everyone just films things nowadays,’ and he actually wanted to take action," she said.
Todd's wife Rachelle had just touched down at LAX airport in California when the calls and texts started to come through. Immediately, she needed to get back.
The flight crew helped her do just that.
"For me personally, that girl, Maria, at Southwest, I mean I was out of my mind. I didn't even remember what gate I came out of. And just the kindness, the human kindness, when you're in this kind of situation, it means a lot," Rachelle said.
Chandler teen jumps into cold lake attempting to rescue driver who veered into the water
A high school boy jumped into a cold lake in Chandler to try and rescue a man who drove his SUV into the water on Wednesday.
Rachelle and Ally say the medical staff at Chandler Regional Medical Center thinks Todd had a stroke and a seizure, causing him to lose control of the car.
Overall, they are thankful for the kindness of strangers.
"Thank you, Ethan."
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family and it can be found here: https://gofund.me/8ce8cabb