Concerned beachgoers jumped into action as a red Ford Fiesta was seen driving into the tide on Western Esplanade, near Oliver’s on the Beach cafe, on Sunday afternoon.
Members of the public quickly walked into the water, freeing the driver and pulling him to safety where coastguards and paramedics treated him.
Lee Rainforth, 52, was one of the heroic members of public who noticed the car in the water as he was driving along the seafront.
Hero – Lee Rainforth (Image: Lee Rainforth / SWNS)
Mr Rainforth, who was a firefighter for 15 years, pulled over and realised a man was trapped inside before stripping down, wading into the freezing sea and smashing the driver’s side window with a rock to open the car door.
The former firefighter said when he got to the car, it was floating and the electric windows would not open.
He explained: “I got a rock and managed to crack the window. Water rushed in. It was coming up to the man’s chest and neck. I thought if he doesn’t get out, he’s going to go under. I leant over and managed to get his seatbelt off. I opened the door and I said ‘What are you doing out here?’ – trying to make a bit of a joke. He told me he was sorry. I just hope he’s alright.”
Mr Rainforth managed to get the man to the shore with the help of another bystander who also entered the water.
A spokesman for the HM Coastguard Southend, who assisted in pulling the car out of the water, also thanked the heroic members of the public who “at risk to themselves”, rescued the man in “what was a very dynamic incident”.
They said: “While we would never encourage members of the public to put themselves at risk, when they do and there is a successful outcome, it shows the community spirit we have in our city when someone goes to help someone in need.
“As the persons involved had already left the scene we were not able to speak and thank them directly.”
The coastguard has also thanked the team at Oliver’s on the Beach for helping the man stay somewhere while paramedics attended to him.
After the incident the coastguard worked to get the car out of the water with police helping to safely remove it leaving no trace of pollutants.