WEST ORANGE, Texas — The woman who was rescued after her car ended up submerged in water following a medical emergency is speaking for the first time since the accident.
Six weeks ago on July 24, Jonquetta Winbush suffered a seizure while driving along Highway 87 in West Orange. Her two children were also in the car when she drove into the body of water.
Winbush's 12-year-old son ran out and flagged down a West Orange police officer. The officer and two good Samaritans passing by helped get the family to safety.
"As soon as we crashed into the pond, the door opened," said Winbush's son Dwight Martin Jr. "I swam out."
He says on the evening of July 24, his 16-year-old sister Bre'Asia, instructed him to flag someone down for help.
"It felt like she was the leader and she was guiding me," he said.
After Winbush was rescued from the submerged car, she was unconscious, had no pulse and wasn't breathing.
"I only remember when I woke up in the hospital," said Winbush.
After four weeks in the ICU and two weeks in recovery, she says she's grateful to be alive and for everyone who jumped in the water to her rescue.
She spent six weeks at St. Elizabeth Hospital with most of that time being in the ICU on a ventilator.
"The whole while I was in ICU, it was like everything was just a dream," said Winbush. "It was a long dream. When Officer Cobb and Eppy came to visit me, they were explaining to me what happened and what they did."
Tomorrow makes one week since Winbush has been home with her family.
Days after being released from the hospital, Winbush watched the emotional moments captured on the officer's body camera with 12News.
She tells 12News that she thanks God and she's grateful for her son's quick-thinking and the kindness of the officer and strangers.
"I feel like he was putting everything in place, you know, everybody in place."
She said her recovery has been hard and she still has goals to reach, but being there for her children is all that matters.
"It was hard, it was very hard, but I knew I had to get back to my children," she said.
On August 12, the City of West Orange honored Officer Chuck Cobb and citizens who helped rescue the mother of two.
Epifanio Munguia risked his life to rescue Winbush. Munguia was in the right place at the right time to save a life. Munguia said he spotted Winbush's car in the water off Highway 87.
"After I saw her, I was overwhelmed with emotions, so I messaged him and I want to personally thank you for being there for my niece and nephew and ultimately my sister, because he really helped save her life," said Bevnisha Holman, Winbush's sister.
Munguia and Holman have stayed in contact after the rescue, and Munguia said he's invested in Winbush's recovery, because he knows her young children need her.
He even stopped by St. Elizabeth Hospital to check in on her and her kids who went back to school on that following Monday.
"It's good to know that attention is coming to it for the fact that we want Jonquetta to recover and people praying for her and possibly get her some more help after she recovers. So that's really what's on my mind," Munguia said.
Winbush says she's still recovering and undergoing physical and occupational therapy.
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