Polk County, Florida — A 64-year-old Lake Wales man died Friday night after his vehicle drove off a Polk County boat ramp and into Lake Marion, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The tragic incident unfolded just before 9 p.m., leaving first responders and family members grappling with a sudden and devastating loss.
Authorities say deputies were dispatched after receiving reports of a vehicle partially submerged at the end of a boat ramp. When they arrived, they found a Honda CR-V with its rear end protruding from the water while the front of the vehicle was fully submerged.
What Deputies Found at the Scene
Deputies and Polk County Fire Rescue personnel located the man in the driver’s seat with his seatbelt fastened, fully underwater at the time he was discovered. First responders removed him from the vehicle and immediately began life-saving efforts, including CPR.
He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, officials confirmed. Investigators noted that the scene showed no signs of the vehicle striking another object before entering the water. The airbags did not deploy, and the driver’s side window was rolled down, details that are now part of the ongoing investigation.
Timeline Leading Up to the Crash
According to investigators, the man’s family had contacted him around 6:30 p.m., asking him to drive to Lake Hamilton after they were involved in an unrelated vehicle crash earlier that evening…