Two critically injured after car plunges into Aurora pond

Two men were in critical condition Sunday morning after a car in which they were riding plunged into a retention pond on the west side of Aurora and flipped onto its roof, trapping them inside until a fire department dive team could pull them out, Aurora police said.

According to police, a 47-year-old man was teaching his younger relative, a 33-year-old Chicago resident, how to drive when the accident occurred about 8 a.m. near a parking lot of an industrial area in the 300 block of Marshall Avenue.

Police said the 33-year-old was practicing parking in a spot near the pond when the vehicle, a 2010 Nissan Maxima, slid into the water. The two men were trapped for an estimated 10 minutes in about four to eight feet of water, authorities said.

Three Aurora police officers arrived first, and with the help of a civilian bystander jumped into the retention pond and righted the car. The Aurora Fire Department Dive Team arrived and were able to get the two men out, but only after cutting the seat belts they were wearing, police said.

Both men are being treated for critical injuries at separate Aurora hospitals, according to police. The older man was expected to be airlifted for further treatment at another suburban hospital.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call Aurora Police Traffic Investigators at (630) 256-3330.