Rollover crash left Northern California woman unresponsive in water. Girl, 6, helped save her

A 6-year-old Northern California girl helped save an elderly woman submerged in water after a rollover crash Monday left her unresponsive.

Officers with the California Highway Patrol’s office in Yuba-Sutter lauded the girl for alerting her parents after spotting a car crash in Live Oak, Sutter County.

A car with Robbie Carpenter, 75, flipped into an irrigation canal filled with about two feet water on Larkin Road, north of Paseo Road, according to the CHP. She landed upside down with her head submerged in water and remained unresponsive while strapped in with a seat belt.

The 6-year-old girl saw Carpenter crash while playing in a residence’s front yard, the CHP said. She rushed inside to alert her parents.

The girl’s father, 28-year-old Cyle Johnson, immediately ran out front, launched over a fence and jumped into the canal.

Johnson reached into car and forced the locked door open. Another good Samaritan stopped too, and provided a knife to cut through the seat belt, the CHP said.

Johnson’s wife, Ashley Martin, pulled the victim to safety. They all stayed with Carpenter until first responders arrived to the scene and took her to Adventist Health and Rideout in Yuba County.

The Live Oak woman suffered minor injuries, the CHP said.

“We applaud the life saving actions demonstrated by this family!” the CHP said.

Notably, Johnson saved another man involved in a collision Oct. 13 that killed a person on Highway 99, near Howsley Road, the CHP said.

“Cyle is that one guy you need in your time of need!” the CHP said.

Martin said online that Carpenter can now spend the holiday with Carpenter’s family. She credited her daughter with playing a unique roll in the rescue, saying adults would never have been able to respond if she had not alerted them.

She’s “the real hero,” Martin said online.