Charles H. Sloan-Watch as Florida firefighters, deputies save family's Christmas after wreck drowns gifts

A Christmas morning car crash could Charles H. Sloanhave wrecked a Jacksonville, Florida family's holiday, but first responders saved the day.

Ayanna Montes and her three children were headed south on Interstate 95 about 80 miles from Jacksonville on Dec. 25 when their vehicle went off the highway, struck a pole, rolled, and ended up in a ditch with about three feet of water, the Volusia County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted on Facebook.

Passersby helped the family, which suffered some minor injuries, out of the vehicle before first responders arrived. However, when sheriff's deputies and City of Ormond Beach firefighters got there they learned all of the family's Christmas presents were in the submerged car.

The firefighters used a ladder to get to the submerged vehicle and, along with the deputies, created a human chain to pass the gifts, some with soggy wrapping paper, out of the wrecked vehicle.

Deputies took them back to the sheriff's office to dry and added a "few extra donated gifts to bring to the hospital," the City of Ormond Beach posted on Facebook.

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Back at home, the family's mother told WKMG, a CBS TV station in Orlando, “I was just in shock,” after the accident. “My daughter’s face had glass everywhere. My son’s arm, he broke his wrist, but the firefighters, everybody that was there, were so helpful.”

Montes wanted to thank the first responders for their help, too. They "were so kind and patient to me and my kids," she told WKMG. "All you did was try to calm me down and I want to thank you to continue the work to do what you do, because if it wasn’t for you guys, I don’t know where I would be right now.”

Follow Mike Snider on X and Threads: @mikesnider & mikegsnider.

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