Marcus Johnson of Leeds was in stable condition Monday afternoon after his car overturned in Blue Eye Creek.
“I was in my yard and I saw him drive by, hitting mailboxes and everything on the right-hand side,” Estelle George said. “You could tell something was wrong with him. I called 911.”
Lincoln Police Investigator Matt Hill said Marcus Johnson, 39, was traveling east on McLain Avenue when the accident occurred at about 12:30 p.m.
George said after calling 911, she flagged down a passerby to warn him to be careful of the driver acting strangely.
“She flagged me down and said to watch out for that car,” Shawn Burks said. “She said, ‘I think he is passed out.’”
Burks said the car was traveling toward a 90-degree turn in the road.
“I was hoping he would run into the embankment and stop — he wasn’t going that fast,” he said.
Burks said the driver made the turn and continued traveling along the shoulder until he became stuck beside an embankment dropping off into Blue Eye Creek.
“I tried to get his car door open and help him out,” Burks said. “But he held onto the door and started accelerating. He gunned it and I got out of the way.”
Burks said the man kept accelerating and the tires spun, then the vehicle rolled over and into the creek.
Torri McCluney said the vehicle kept accelerating all the way into the water.
“The whole car was upside down under water,” Burks said. “I’m a certified lifeguard. I wasn’t worried about the water. But they teach you to never go into the water alone to attempt a rescue if you don’t know if the person is trying to kill themselves or not.”
Burks said as soon as the first police officer arrived, they went into the water.
“We turned the car on its side and about four to five of us got him out,” he said.
Hill said the man was transported by Lincoln Fire and Rescue Department to St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition Monday afternoon.
The accident is under investigation by the Lincoln Police Department.
Contact Elsie Hodnett at ehodnett@dailyhome.com.
