Rescuers free man trapped in submerged vehicle in Brush Creek

Rescue crews pulled a man from a submerged vehicle in Brush Creek near the Paseo on Tuesday afternoon.

The vehicle was traveling east on Brush Creek Boulevard before it veered into the creek about 2:20 p.m., Kansas City police said. It may have hit a utility pole before going into the water.

One person got out of the submerged vehicle on his own, police said. Kansas City firefighters freed the second person, who was taken to a hospital unconscious and in critical condition, police said.

Investigators were checking to see if the driver experienced a medical condition before the accident, said Sgt. Bill Mahoney.

Tanner Prendergast said he was driving west on Brush Creek when he noticed the vehicle drive into a median and briefly become stuck. The driver put the vehicle in reverse. It drove several yards and struck a utility pole before it went into the water.

“I said, ‘He’s going into the creek,’ ” Prendergast said. “The car was a fourth of the way submerged and it began to sink. He (the driver) was just sitting there and not trying to get out. I thought that was weird.”

Fire crews arrived moments later.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Rescuers free man trapped in submerged vehicle in Brush Creek."