A father of two young girls accidentally drove his SUV into a lake on Sunday, January 22 and lost his life. He managed to save his children in the sinking car by opening the car trunk from within the vehicle. The girls were miraculously able to swim to safety in the freezing cold. 

Police identified the deceased driver as Jon Paul Dowler, 52. He accidentally drove his SUV into Lake Macatawa after getting lost on a dark road early Sunday morning.

The SUV plunged into the lake at Jenison Avenue, a quiet suburban street whose dead end leads right into the lake.

Police believe Dowler saved the lives of his eight-year-old and ten-year-old daughters by opening the SUV’s back hatch using the trunk switch on the driver’s seat.

The girls were able to swim to shore at around 2 am on Sunday and spent the freezing cold night huddled together in their wet clothes on a porch on a property near the lake, until the homeowner found them.

The girls spotted lights on a Christmas tree at the house and hunkered there until morning. The homeowner, Kevin MacLeod, said the girls were still in their wet clothes when he found them and had no shoes.

Lieutenant Eric Westveer from the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said that Dowler tried to free himself by breaking the car windows, but was unsuccessful.

According to Lieutenant Westveer, the girls told an officer they huddled together throughout the night because they saw the survival technique on a television show.