The dramatic rescue of a man through the sunroof of his luxury car as it sank into the sea, was witnessed by passengers on the chain ferry as they crossed from Studland to Sandbanks in Dorset.
Robert Hill in his 70s was sitting in his Bentley Continental in the car park next to the Sandbanks Ferry ramp just after 5 pm on Tuesday 1st October 2025, when the car suddenly lurched forward, plunged into the sea, and started to sink.
The heroic rescuers bring Robert safely to shore while the car continues to sink
“I genuinely thought I was going to die”
Fortunately two men fishing nearby and a passerby quickly reacted and without hesitation jumped in the water and swam out to the car.
Robert returned to the scene of the incident the following day and recalled the moment the car moved forward. Speaking to the BBC, he said:
“To my horror, of course, it started to go over. Well, I thought, oh my goodness I’m going to have an end the same as the Titanic.
“I was absolutely scared to death – I genuinely thought I was going to die, especially as the doors and windows were locked.”
Robert Hill was lucky to live to tell the tale
Pulled through open sunroof
It was then, with water up to his chin, he spotted the anglers Abdel Hamid Bakkali and Abdeliah Slah swimming towards him, along with a third man who had dived in too.
Robert said:
“I was just pushing myself up when I saw three figures in the water all coming towards me, trying to get to me.
“They all then crawled onto the bonnet and said, ‘Stay where you are- don’t do anything – wait till we get there’.
The men were then able to pull Robert out of the car through the open sunroof and bring him safely to the shore, while passengers on the Sandbanks Ferry who had watched the alarming incident unfold, were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Robert was taken to hospital to be checked over but was fortunate not to have any serious injuries.
The doors and windows were locked but fortunately Robert had opened the sunroof
“He was a very lucky guy”
Later, the two men who’d been fishing on the quayside were tracked down by the BBC. Speaking via video phone on BBC South, Abdel Hamid Bakkali said:
“If the roof wasn’t open, we wouldn’t have been able to open the doors. He was a very lucky guy – a really nice guy.”
The £30,000 Bentley Continental is craned up from the seabed
The car was removed quickly by the Poole Harbour Commissioners for the safety of boat users and the environment
“Commend the swift and selfless efforts of those individuals on the quayside”
A spokesperson for Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) said:
“PHC staff were rapidly on the scene and our hydrographic survey vessel fixed the vehicle’s position on the seabed. Divers and a crane were mobilised for recovery and the vehicle was lifted safely ashore at 10.30 pm.
“We would like to take this opportunity to commend the swift and selfless efforts of those individuals on the quayside who assisted the gentleman from his car before it sank.
“We would also like to thank PHC staff, partner agencies and our contractors who worked late into the night, recovering the vehicle to ensure the safety of navigation and protection of the environment.”
The wrecked car after it had been recovered with the Sandbanks Ferry in the background
Accident prone spot
Poole Harbour next to the Sandbanks Ferry, where the incident happened, is one of the most accident prone places in the UK.
In June 2023, a car waiting to board the ferry, rolled off the slipway on the Sandbanks side of Poole Harbour, and floated out into the water, while the driver had got out, reportedly to buy an ice cream.
On a number of occasions, small yachts have been pulled by tidal currents against the side of the ferry and got entangled in its prow.
However probably one of the most memorable incidents was in September 2021 when a wing walking plane ditched in the water next to the ferry during the Bournemouth Air Festival.
No one was seriously hurt in any of the incidents.
A driver popped out of the car for an ice cream while the vehicle rolled down the ferry ramp and into the harbour in June 2023
It’s not uncommon for small boats to get caught in the currents around the Sandbanks Ferry and end up under the prow
Wing walking plane with the pilot and the stunt wing walker on board ditched in the harbour in about the same spot as the Bentley
