KISSIMMEE, Fla. – It’s a danger many drivers may not consider, but in Florida, more people die after their vehicles become submerged than in any other state.
On Friday, a man died after his car went into a pond in Kissimmee.
A report from the Associated Press found that from 2013 to 2017, of the nearly 1,100 people nationwide who died when vehicles went into water, 1 in 6 died in Florida, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The 185 deaths are 2.5 times the next-highest, 74, in California, which has nearly twice as many people.
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“This is very, very scary,” said Juanita Briceno, a neighbor who was upset to wake up and see another car in the pond by her home. “It’s horrible knowing that that person probably was looking for help, and nobody was able to save that person. It is very, very sad.”
[WATCH: 23-year-old Kissimmee man dies when car crashes, overturns in Osceola County pond]
Florida Highway Patrol says a 23-year-old was driving when he veered off the road into the pond. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
This isn’t the first car to be pulled from this pond.
Thirty-six-year-old barber Jose Malave Lebron was found dead inside his submerged car in 2023 after failing to negotiate a turn and running off the road.
“The problem started probably about five to six years ago, when we saw an increased number of crashes right on the water,” a local resident noted.
[VIDEO: Community, family gather to mourn Kissimmee barber found dead in submerged vehicle]
To try to stop this from happening again, another neighbor said she was pushing for speed deterrents or potentially barricades along the water.
“There’s a problem, and I think there could have been or should be a much better response because tragedies will continue to happen,” Jacklyn Peterson said.
If you end up in the water inside your car, the first thing you should try to do is roll down your windows to give yourself a space to escape from.