It was a cold, winter day in Miami, Florida when Karla accidentally drove her car over the side of the road and down a 30-foot-deep canal. Shocked to be neck deep in freezing water, the 32-year-old woman panicked, like most of us would. If there's ever a reason to ask your parents for a cell phone, here's one. Karla was smart enough to call 911 on her cell.
The operator told her to roll down her windows or open the door and get out! Karla refused, saying, "If I do, all the water is going to come in!" When Karla and her 1998 BMW 328 were found, her car keys were found inside her purse. I guess she thought she'd need them later.
If you are unlucky enough to be in a car that is sinking the first thing to do is unroll the windows so you can escape from the vehicle. Once the bottom of the vehicle is even slightly submerged, the water pressure makes it almost impossible to open the door. You have to wait until the car has completely sunk before the pressure is equalized.
It usually takes 10 minutes for a to sink, but the electrical system goes much sooner as the water covers the car and short-circuits the wires. In most cars with automatic windows, the motor that powers the window is halfway up the car door, so if you don't want to end up like Karla, unroll a window and get out.
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