Passenger in car that crashed into Aurora pond has died

A 48-year-old Aurora man who was a passenger in a car that plunged into a retention pond on the west side of the city early Sunday morning has died, authorities said.

Dawa Tamang was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m. Sunday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, according a news release from the Aurora Police Department.

Police said Tamang was teaching a 33-year-old relative how to drive when the accident happened about 8 a.m. near a parking lot of an industrial area on the 300 block of Marshall Avenue.

The 33-year-old was practicing parking in a spot near the pond when the car, a 2010 Nissan Maxima, suddenly accelerated, went over some bushes, and into the pond, according to police. The car then flipped on its roof and trapped the two men for an estimated 10 minutes in about four to eight feet of water.

A 50-year-old Aurora man who witnessed the crash was in the pond when three Aurora police officers arrived.

The police officers jumped into the water and made several attempts to open the car's doors or break its windows. After those efforts failed, the officers and the bystander were able to flip the car upright. At that point, an officer was able to break one of the car's windows.

Then the Aurora Fire Department Dive Team arrived and — with the help of the officers — freed the two men after cutting the seat belts they were wearing, police said.

The dive team and one of the officers also checked to make sure there weren't any more victims in the car or the water, officials said.

Tamang was airlifted to Loyola after receiving treatment at an Aurora hospital.

The 33-year-old driver, who suffered critical injuries, continues to be treated at an Aurora hospital, according to police.

Authorities said there were no outward signs of alcohol or drug use at the scene of the crash.