Bystanders rescue SUV occupants who crashed into Rideau River in Ottawa

Shows how important it is to have basic swimming skills, says one rescuer Gabrielle Huston · CBC News · Posted: Sep 04, 2026 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 hours ago Play article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Emergency crews respond to Friday morning's single-vehicle crash at the corner of Riverside Drive and Walkley Road. Thanks to the quick efforts of several bystanders, two people inside an SUV that crashed into the Rideau River were able to safely make it to shore. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC) Two people whose SUV crashed into the Rideau River on Friday morning are safe after several others who were in the area rushed into action to rescue them. Emergency services responded to the single-vehicle collision around a. m. at the corner of Riverside Drive and Walkley Road near Mooney's Bay, according to Ottawa paramedics. They said an SUV went into the water and that two people inside had made it back to shore. CBC News saw a long silver pole on the road and boats labeled "Ottawa Fire" on the water around 6 a. m. on Friday. Lesley Tomlinson had been out for a run that morning and was near the intersection when she heard the sound of a car braking and skidding. She told CBC the SUV had skidded through the intersection, hit the light pole, went over the embankment and crashed into the water. "I was dumbfounded," she said. The intersection of Riverside Drive and Walkley Road is seen at around 6 a. m. on Friday after the crash. (Gabrielle Huston/CBC) 'He can't swim!' "There was definitely a moment of panic as to, how do I help these people?" Tomlinson said. Two other people emerged on the scene to help, she said. One woman came out of a house nearby and called 911, while another woman who'd been in a car behind the SUV pulled over and jumped into the water. Tomlinson said she watched her help the driver out of the car and then go around to the passenger's side, yelling: "He can't swim!" A former lifeguard, Tomlinson dove into the water. When she reached the car, it was mostly submerged and the passenger was holding onto it. "I was very assertive and I told him that he was not to touch me, he was not to put his arms around me, that that would mean we would both drown," Tomlinson recalled. "I told him that he is going to lie on his back and I am going to hold his head and I'm going to bring him in. ...