Authorities say an incident involving a vehicle that crashed into a pond in Hartland Township was the result of the driver suffering a medical event.

Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy says a 45-year-old Hartland man was driving a 2010 Mazda westbound on M-59 around 5:30pm Friday when went he went off the roadway and into a pond near Oakbrooke Apartments. Murphy says the man had just purchased the vehicle and was driving it home when he suffered a medical event that resulted in him losing control and causing his vehicle to leave the roadway, where it ended up in the retention pond.

The pond is estimated to be about 8 to 10 feet deep, and the vehicle was completely submerged. Murphy says three witnesses were instrumental in getting the driver out of the vehicle. The driver was transported to the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor and is expected to recover.

Murphy says the three good Samaritans who helped extricate the driver informed emergency personnel upon their arrival that they were not sure if anyone else was in the car. A responding fireman had dive equipment with him and was able to ascertain that there was no one else in the vehicle.

Murphy says the true story here is the good Samaritans’ willingness to help. He feels this is a “don’t wanna get involved type of world”, and gives a “hats-off and big atta boy” to the Samaritans for stopping and helping the man in the vehicle.

Livingston County EMS and firefighters from Hartland Deerfield Fire Authority assisted county sheriff's deputies at the scene.(DK)