Man rescued from submerged vehicle dies two weeks later

A 67-year-old Columbus man died Monday from injuries he suffered two weeks ago, when he was rescued from his submerged car that crashed into a creek.

Ralph Valdespino was pronounced dead at 3:17 p.m. in Midtown Medical Center, said Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan. The cause of death was blunt-force trauma from the accident, he said.

The single-vehicle accident happened at the intersection of Whitesville Road and Maplebrook Drive at 6:06 p.m. Dec. 13, according to Columbus police. A witness told police that she saw the 1999 Ford Expedition skid sideways north on Whitesville Road, leave the roadway on the east side and slide approximately 10 feet down the embankment and into a creek.

Cpl. David Lang of the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office was among the group of people who came to Valdespino’s aid. Lang said he jumped into the water and used a hammer that someone else brought to the scene to break the SUV’s rear passenger window.

At the time, the driver was still seated upside down with his head and shoulders underwater, according to a police report.

Lang said he broke the driver’s window, opened the door and pulled the driver out of the water by his shirt and shoulder. He said that’s when he noticed beer cans floating in the water. Police later determined weather conditions contributed to the wreck.

A group of witnesses helped Lang pull the driver through the open passenger door and move him onto a flat surface to perform CPR. By that time, medics had arrived on the scene to assist the driver, who was not breathing or conscious at the time.

Police spoke with the driver’s brother, who said he had dinner with the 67-year-old man earlier that night. He said his brother left the house around 6:20 p.m. to pick up some light bulbs from Lowe’s.

He said he believes his brother had a 12-ounce Bud Light beer with his dinner before he left, adding that it was normal for his brother to have a beer with his dinner.

The responding officer said he didn’t smell an odor of alcohol coming from driver.

This story was originally published December 26, 2016 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Man rescued from submerged vehicle dies two weeks later."