UPDATE 11AM MONDAY, JUNE 20

A 48-year-old Aurora man who was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed into a West Side retention pond early Sunday morning has died.

Dawa Tamang of the 300 block of Westpark Avenue, Aurora, was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m. Sunday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. He had been airlifted to that facility after receiving treatment at an Aurora hospital after the 7:55 a.m. crash in the 300 block of Marshall Avenue.

Aurora Police Department photo.

According to the investigation so far, Tamang was apparently teaching a 33-year-old male relative how to drive in a 2010 Nissan Maxima. It appeared the younger man was attempting to park in a spot near the retention pond when the vehicle suddenly accelerated, went over some bushes, and into the pond. It then flipped on its roof and trapped the two men for an estimated 10 minutes in about 4 to 8 feet of water.

A 50-year-old Aurora man who witnessed the crash was already in the pond when Aurora police arrived. Three officers then jumped into the water and made several attempts to open the vehicle’s doors or break its windows. When those efforts were unsuccessful, the officers and witness were able to flip the car upright.

The Aurora Fire Department Dive Team arrived and with the help of the officers, freed the two men and got them out of the pond. The dive team and one of the officers also did a cursory check to assure there were no additional victims in the car or the water.

The 33-year-old man, who suffered critical injuries, continues to be treated at an Aurora hospital. There were no outward signs of alcohol or drug use at the scene of the crash.

ORIGINAL POST 7AM MONDAY, JUNE 20

Aurora police are investigating a single-car crash that critically injured two men after the car in which they were riding went into a West Side retention pond just before 8 a.m. Sunday, June 19, 2016.

The vehicle was occupied by a 47-year-old man was a passenger in a 2010 Nissan Maxima being driven by a 33-year-old male relative who lives in Chicago. At this time, police believe the older man may have been teaching the younger one to drive and thought that a quiet parking lot in an industrial area in the 300 block of Marshall Avenue would be a good place to practice.

According to the preliminary information from the investigation, the 33-year-old man was practicing parking in a spot near the retention pond when the vehicle somehow slid into the pond, flipped on its roof and trapped the two men for an estimated 10 minutes in about 4 feet to 8 feet of water.

Three Aurora police officers arrived first on-scene 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 of the car but only after cutting the seat belts they were wearing. Firefighters and police officers then teamed to get the men out of the pond. The dive team also did a cursory check of the pond to assure there were no additional victims.

Both men are being treated for critical injuries at separate Aurora hospitals. The older man is being prepped to be airlifted for further treatment at a suburban hospital. There is no further information available on the younger man.

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

SOURCE: Aurora Police Department news release