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Dive Team Pulls Woman From Fatal Framingham Car Crash Into Pond

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (CBS/AP) — When Framingham fire crews were called to a car in the water on Sunday morning, little did they know that three people were in that submerged vehicle.

Police say a brother and sister died and a third person was seriously hurt when the car they were in flipped and crashed into a Framingham pond. Authorities identified the victims of the weekend crash as 25-year-old Jennifer Archila and 21-year-old Brian Archila.

Twenty-one-year-old Lilibeth Vasquez, of Framingham, survived. Fire chief Gary Daugherty says Vasquez reached out to a member of the dive team during the operation.

"They found out as they were working with her (that) she had an air pocket that she actually had her head in and that's how she was able to survive," he said.

Vasquez was in the water for about three hours before crews cut her out of the car safely using the Jaws of Life. While lamenting the loss of a brother and sister killed in the crash, the fire chief says he is proud of the fact that they were able to save a life that day.

The family has set up a fundraising page for funeral expenses.

The car was spotted at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday but police say it may have been there for several hours.

An overturned car in the water in Framingham
(WBZ-TV)

Police say it appears as if the vehicle went out of control after failing to complete a left turn and rolled down an embankment into the small pond near Framingham Country Club. A golfer on his way to the club spotted the vehicle.

Nearby resident Anne Fleischman said that section of the road is so dangerous, she doesn't even walk her dog there.

"It's terrible," she said. "People drive very, very fast."

Lt. Stephen Cronin say there was no initial evidence of drug or alcohol use.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports:

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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