Dog rescued from Hollywood lake after car plunges into water

Air pocket keeps dog alive in submerged car for about 20 minutes

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A dog was rescued Friday morning from a Hollywood lake after the dog's owner drove his car into the water.

The man was driving his car on a road in T.Y. Park when it somehow wound up in the lake.

Some good Samaritans witnessed the crash and helped pull the man out.

One of the man's two dogs died, but a Davie Fire Rescue Department diver came out of the water holding another dog.

The dog apparently found an air pocket in the car, which had been in the water for about 20 minutes.

"It was emotional," Hollywood Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Andrew Davis said. "It was nice to see. We do this routinely, and routinely it is not a good outcome."

Police covered the dog with a towel and reunited the shivering pet with its owner.

The reunion didn't last long. Hollywood police Officer Christian Lata said the man was hospitalized under Florida's Baker Act law after police determined that the man tried to kill himself by driving the car into the water.

Lata said the man could face animal cruelty charges.

"I just want to say thanks to the diver who saved my dog," the man's sister said.