Woman rescued from top of submerged car after 15 hours

Rescue officials praise woman for ‘tenacity’ to be able to swim out of overturned car

A woman stranded in Livermore, California, spent 15 hours on a submerged vehicle before being rescued.

A camper near Del Valle Road called the Alameda County Fire Department after finding the woman on top of her overturned car that was submerged in a swift-moving creek.

She was rescued with the help of a California Highway Patrol helicopter that was able to lower a technician to grab the woman and pull her up to safety.

"It could have had a whole different outcome. She could have been swept downstream, but she was strong enough to get up on top of the vehicle," said Battalion Chief Kent Carlin, with Alameda Fire, reported CBS News.

"Maybe out of her tenacity or luck. I don’t know what it was. The entire cab was submerged, so she was able to swim out of the window and climb herself up on the vehicle."

Video footage of her rescue shows a helicopter hovering above the vehicle with one of the personnel grabbing her to safety.

"The water was significantly rapid when we arrived, I can only imagine that last night it was flowing a little heavier," Mr Carlin was quoted as saying by Fox News affiliate ktvu.com.

According to the fire department, the woman lost her phone along with other items, including her bag. A camper, Bob Sitzwohl, saw her yelling, helped alerting relevant authorities, reported NVC News.

"She was extremely lucky. Had there been nobody at the campground, she could have been there significantly longer," Mr Carlin said.

The woman was taken to a local hospital and is expected to recover completely.