Police credit alert community members in Carroll Co. pond rescue

HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — Skid marks line a yard off of Industrial Drive in Huntingdon after a car with three people inside drove into April Skelton’s pond.

“We could have been outside when this happened,” Skelton said. “I just thank the Lord that we weren’t.”

Skelton was getting ready to take her 2-year-old twin boys outside to play when she thought she saw a car pull into her driveway.

But when she looked, no one was there.

“So then I run around back to my utility room, and I see a car in the middle of my pond, and I went into panic mode,” she said.

Investigators say the driver of the car had a seizure, which caused her to lose control of the vehicle and drive it through the yard into the pond.

Witnesses say the car went airborne before hitting the water nose-first. It then popped back up and spun around before completely submerging.

Patrolman Paul Hugueley with the Huntingdon Police Department helped pull the victims to safety, but he credits the rescue to alert community members.

“If it wasn’t for him sitting on the porch, we don’t even know if anyone would have heard this happen,” Hugueley said.

Hugueley said a man visiting someone who lived in the area helped one of the victims escape before emergency crews arrived.

“Just full adrenaline,” Hugueley said. “I didn’t realize exactly what was going on. We are very blessed it turned out the way it did.”

As for Skelton, she said she has her faith to thank.

“I am thankful for God taking protection,” she said. “It could have been a whole lot worse. And I am just glad everyone is OK.”

All three victims were taken to a local hospital. Investigators said two were released, but the driver is still recovering.

The owners of the pond said they plan to build a fence around the yard to prevent future accidents.