A boat owner, who borrowed a friend’s Land Rover to launch his vessel, ended up sinking the car in the harbour.
The man was using the £10,000 Land Rover Discovery to reverse a boat down a long sloping slipway at Brixham in Devon.
But as he backed the trailer into the water he confused the controls and the car ended up completely submerged.
A boat owner, who borrowed a friend’s Land Rover to launch his vessel, ended up sinking the car in the harbour
The man was using the £10,000 Land Rover Discovery to reverse a boat down a long sloping slipway at Brixham in Devon
But as he backed the trailer into the water he confused the controls and the car ended up completely submerged
The driver had a lucky escape and was rescued from the vehicle before it sank.
Emergency crews returned the following day to recover the car using giant air bags to float it back to the surface.
A crane was then called in to lift it out of the water at Brixham, Devon.
The drama happened at the weekend and police, fire crews and the coastguard all attended.
The coastguard said the driver was lucky to be alive and the situation could have been much worse.
A spokesman said: ‘On our local knowledge patrol on Sunday morning, we attended Brixham Breakwater where the salvage of the car from yesterday’s incident was underway.
Emergency crews returned the following day to recover the car using giant air bags to float it back to the surface
‘The Millennium Marine attached lifting bags to the vehicle and raised it to the surface.
‘It was then decided to tow the vehicle to the inner harbour where it was lifted out of the water by crane. The owners were then reunited with their very soggy belongings.’
They added: ‘It wasn’t his car and he wasn’t familiar with the controls which exacerbated the situation very quickly.
‘Human error in this case, but in line with our colleagues in the other emergency services we never judge the people we help to rescue. Saving lives is our priority.
‘This is no laughing matter. I overheard the driver talking about his experiences this morning. He was lucky to get out alive.’
Devon and Cornwall Police said: ‘We were made aware of the incident at 1.34pm on Saturday by the fire crews.
‘It appears that a vehicle with a trailer was on the slipway on the Breakwater but has somehow ended up in the water.
‘Coastguard crews were alerted and one man was rescued from inside the vehicle.
‘No medical assistance was required or needed for the man when the coastguard retrieved and rescued him from the vehicle.’
Do you know the car owner or his friend? Get in touch with us by emailing anthony.joseph@mailonline.co.uk or call 0203 615 1875