Passerby saw car headlights under water: Drunk man buried by river miraculously manages to get out

On September 15, 2024, a drunk driver narrowly escaped death by extricating himself at the last minute from his car that had fallen into the Dordogne.

The accident could have been fatal. On Sunday, a 27-year-old man miraculously extricated himself from his car that had been submerged in a river, reports France bleu. A passerby spotted the headlights of the vehicle under the surface and the twenty-year-old reaching the bank, clearly drunk.

Off the road

Around 7am on Sunday morning, the day had barely broken when a passer-by saw the headlights of a car flashing in the Dordogne. Driven by a man in his twenties, it had ended up in the river after leaving the road.

According to our colleagues, the man was driving his vehicle on the departmental road, on the border with Gironde when he lost control. Drunk, he ended up in the Dordogne and the vehicle quickly took on water and sank.

Drunken evening

The man miraculously managed to escape from the passenger compartment of the car location before reaching the bank. A man who was passing by, noticing the vehicle, contacted the emergency services and the police.

The gendarmes of the Vélines brigade found the young man unharmed. According to our colleagues, he was returning from a particularly alcoholic evening organized by his rugby club.

The mayor of the town, Dominique Iberto, indicates that the car is still in the river. The place is subject to strong currents  and it was a close call to escape the tragedy. An investigation has been opened.