Colorado Man Rescued by Passersby From Submerged SUV

Four good Samaritans in Colorado are being hailed as heroes today for jumping into a creek to pull to safety the driver of an SUV whose vehicle had been sent plunging into the water by another driver.

The four people, two guards from a nearby medical center and two passersby, jumped into Denver's Cherry Creek after seeing the SUV, an Acura, collide with another vehicle after that driver reportedly ran a red light, local ABC affiliate KMGH reported.

The Sunday morning accident plunged the driver into nearly three feet of water for nearly 10 minutes before he was rescued.  Luckily for the driver, whose name was not released, the accident occurred just down the road from the Denver Health Medical Center, a top trauma center.

Guards from the center joined the passerby in helping to pry open the vehicle's doors and cut the man's seat belt loose while they waited for rescuers from the Denver Fire Department to arrive.

A specialized underwater team sent in by the Fire Department was able to free the trapped man, who was unconscious and not breathing when he was pulled to shore.

Firefighters gave the victim CPR at the scene to resuscitate him before transporting him to the nearby health center, fire officials said.

The man's condition is unknown.

Also injured in the accident was one of the rescuers, a firefighter who fell 14 feet down the bank of the creek.  He was taken to the hospital and treated for a possible broken leg, Phil Champagne, a spokesman for the Denver Fire Department, told KMGH.

The Denver Post reports the driver of the vehicle that caused the crash was cited for careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury.

The crash remains under investigation.