A woman who was rescued after crashing into a canal in Homestead is speaking out about her ordeal and thanking the man who helped save her life.
Marcia Fuste is grateful to be alive after driving her car into the canal on Saturday and spending several hours fighting to keep her head above water.
Speaking from her hospital bed Tuesday, the 64-year-old told NBC 6 how it all happened.
"I didn't turn on my block. I have no idea why. I just kept going, kept going,” said Fuste. "I realized, where am I? Oh my God."
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
Fuste said she was exhausted from a trip she had taken to Fort Lauderdale earlier that day. She didn’t realize she missed her turn home until she was "in the middle of nowhere."
She eventually hit a dirt road but hoped it would turn into a paved street. Instead, it led to the canal.
Local
"There was a big canal, and I slid right down into it. Thank God the [car] window was open on my side, and I crawled out, really quick," said Fuste. "I was trying to keep my head above water, and I did that from 7:30 until 7-something in the morning when the light came out and the gliders found me."
On Monday, NBC 6 spoke to Cristiano Piquet, who was paramotoring over the area on Sunday morning as he checked out a property for his realty business.
Piquet spotted Fuste’s white car in the canal and descended to get a closer look. That’s when he noticed the 64-year-old screaming for help. He eventually called 911.
A neighbor heard the commotion and came over with a rope to pull Fuste out of the canal.
Piquet, who was wearing a body camera, captured the discovery and eventual rescue.
"The most frightening experience of my life. I was so far into the boonies that I thought I was going to be there for days, for days," said Fuste. "I suffered from severe trauma and that caused me to have continual nausea for two days. I’m on a lot of medications."
Fuste calls the men who rescued her angels.
As of Tuesday, she was scheduled to go to physical therapy at Homestead Hospital. If she’s strong enough, she’s expected to be released from the hospital.
Fuste said she’s a cancer survivor. She has several tumors in her brain and lung but has been in remission for about a year.
