Quick-acting Englewood firefighters rescued two people in a car that veered into a retention pond early Saturday.
The two were taken to Swedish Medical Center after their Subaru plunged into the water at high speed, and firefighters pulled them from their mostly submerged vehicle.
On Saturday afternoon, the nursing supervisor on duty said they were in critical condition.
The persons, whose names were not released, were headed west on Hampden Avenue at 1:45 a.m. Saturday when the driver lost control and the car careened into the pond just west of Broadway and north of Hampden, authorities said.
The car flipped and landed upside down in the water, which is from 4 to 5 1/2 feet deep, said Jason Hehn, spokesman for the Englewood Fire Department.
Only one of the rear tires and bumper were visible, Hehn said.
Firefighters and paramedics at a station at 555 W. Jefferson St., a few blocks away, responded within minutes, said Brad Johnson, spokesman for the Englewood Police Department.
Two firefighters dove into the water and pulled the victims, who were not breathing, out of the car through windows.
“The (firefighters) got in there and took care of business right away,” Johnson said. “They got people out of the Subaru and out of the pond onto the bank. They did a heck of a job.”
The victims’ families declined comment Saturday.
The South Metro Fire Department’s Dive Team was called to the scene and helped remove the vehicle from the pond.
While police were diverting traffic in the area because of the crash, another driver slammed into a police car and fled.
Johnson said police caught a male suspect in the hit and run and believe he may have been drinking and driving. Neither the officer nor the suspect was seriously injured in that incident.
9News contributed to this report.
