Robert Hill thought he was experiencing his own Titanic moment when his Bentley Continental plunged into Poole Harbour at Sandbanks, Dorset on Tuesday evening. The 72-year-old was pulled to safety through his open sunroof by two local anglers and a passerby who jumped into the water without hesitation.
Hill had parked his bronze Bentley Flying Spur opposite the Haven Hotel in the Ferry Way Car Park around 5 pm when the car suddenly lurched forward. The vehicle crashed over the curb into a bench before making a loud bang and continuing over the edge into the water.
The car initially sank before floating back to the surface. Hill tried unsuccessfully to open the electric windows as water rose inside the cabin, reaching his chin before he remembered the sunroof remained open from his drive.
Anglers Abdel Hamid Bakkali and Abdeliah Slah were fishing nearby when they witnessed the incident. They immediately dove into the harbour along with a third man, swimming toward the sinking vehicle as passengers on the Sandbanks Ferry watched the drama unfold.
Hill recalled seeing three figures approaching through the water as he pushed himself up toward the sunroof. The rescuers crawled onto the bonnet and told him to stay calm, then pulled him through the sunroof opening and brought him safely to shore.
Bakkali later told media that Hill was “a very lucky guy” since the closed doors and windows couldn’t be opened from outside. The open sunroof proved crucial to the rescue.
Hill was taken to hospital for checks but fortunately suffered no serious injuries. The Bentley, registered in 2013 and worth over $201,000 when new, had just passed its MOT. Hill had the car valeted the previous day for $134.
Poole Harbour Commissioners used a hydrographic survey vessel to locate the car on the seabed before divers and a crane retrieved it to the surface. The port authority commended the swift and selfless efforts of those who assisted Hill.
The location near Sandbanks Ferry has seen multiple incidents over the years. In 2014, a woman was rescued by a passing boat after accidentally driving into the water. A car rolled off the slipway in June 2023 after the driver got out, and small yachts have become entangled with the ferry on several occasions.
Perhaps most memorable was September 2021, when a wing-walking plane ditched in the water next to the ferry during the Bournemouth Air Festival. No one suffered serious injuries in any of these incidents.
Hill returned to the scene the following day, reflecting on his close call and expressing gratitude for the quick-thinking strangers who saved his life from what he genuinely believed would be a fatal accident.
