Overview

• The car entered the water from the Ferry Way car park near the Sandbanks chain ferry at about 5:13pm on Tuesday, according to Poole Harbour Commissioners.
• Three local anglers swam to the semi-submerged Bentley, with two climbing onto the bonnet to pull the driver out through the open sunroof as a lifebuoy was thrown from shore.
• The vehicle sank to the seabed within minutes after the rescue and was later located by a hydrographic vessel before divers and a crane lifted it ashore at 10:30pm.
• The driver, identified as Robert Hill, a retired funeral director, was checked at hospital and allowed to return home, and he publicly thanked the rescuers.
• Officials have not confirmed a mechanical cause, with reports describing sudden acceleration and a possible pedal error at a car park where a similar incident was recorded in 2002.