A driving lesson took a dangerous turn when a nanny mistakenly drove her car into Lake Ray Hubbard. This incident prompted a water rescue involving the nanny and her passengers, which included a mother and her three young children.
The incident occurred Tuesday afternoon in the Travis Ranch neighborhood in Forney when the nanny, under instruction from the children’s mother, was learning to drive.
Kaufman County Constable Jason Johnson said the nanny, unfamiliar with the vehicle’s controls, “accelerated when she intended to brake,” causing the car to hop a curb at the end of Cosmos Court and plunge into the lake.
Inside the white Mercedes sedan were the nanny, the mother, and three children, ages 1, 2, and 4, with the two youngest secured in car seats.
A neighbor, Patrick Johnson, a retired U.S. Air Force member, captured part of the rescue on his cell phone. Alerted by screams around 3:30 p.m., he rushed outside but initially saw no signs of an accident.
“I didn’t see anything, and they kept saying, ‘The car! The car!’ Didn’t see a car. Didn’t see streak marks in the street,” Johnson said, NBC 5 DFW reported.
Only when he approached the lake did he spot the vehicle floating in the water, with the nanny climbing out through the sunroof.
“I did not know that the kids were in there,” he added.
Home surveillance footage showed the moments before the incident, with the car stopping briefly as the mother and nanny swapped seats. As the nanny took the wheel, the vehicle lurched forward, launching into the water.
Deputies training nearby arrived within seconds, according to Kaufman County Constable Jason Johnson.
“They’re the ones that we should thank. They got into the water. They were able to get the kids out of the water and calm them down,” Patrick Johnson said, per NBC 5.
First responders, including a Forney firefighter and another county constable, assisted in the rescue. Chopper footage later showed crews towing the partially submerged sedan from the lake.
No major injuries were reported.
The Texas Department of Public Safety described the event as “more of an incident rather than a crash,” noting that all occupants were unharmed and the vehicle was successfully removed, per WFAA.
Constable Johnson emphasized the importance of safety during driving lessons.
“It’s always nice to teach people to learn how to drive, but it’s better to make sure you’re doing it in a safe area, and please make sure you do not have children in the car,” he said, WFAA reported.