ALLENDALE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — When Tamy Geerts saw a car sinking into a man-made neighborhood lake, her instinct kicked in.
A security officer for Grand Valley State University and mother of two, she says helping those in need is in her nature.
"I was terrified that somebody might be in there still," Geerts said as she recounted the ordeal in an interview Monday. "I took my shoes off. I took my socks off. I threw my glasses and I went in."
It was Saturday afternoon when she spotted the car in the water at the Placid Lake Community, near the intersection of Lake Michigan Drive and 84th Avenue, in Allendale Township.
Once she realized that there was someone in the car, the situation increased in urgency and oddity. The man in the driver's seat was awake, but for some reason wasn't excited to aid in his own rescue.
"He was already, at this point, submerged to his waist in water and he was just sitting there looking straight ahead," Geerts said.
Geerts said the man eventually tried to roll down the car's windows. The only button still working was for the back passenger window. The victim climbed into the back seat and Geerts said she was able to pull him through the window.