Video: Three kids rescued as mother steers car into stormy ocean waters

Rescuers pulled three children from a minivan tossing in the surf at a
Florida beach after their mother drove them into the Atlantic Ocean,
according to the Sheriff's Office.

The mother, whose name has not
been released, was undergoing mental health evaluation, according to
the sheriff's news release Wednesday afternoon (March 5). No one was
seriously injured.

A videotape of the rescue recorded by a
Canadian tourist showed lifeguards and bystanders at Daytona Beach
frantically pulling the children, ages 3, 9 and 10, out of the van as it
bobbed in the waves on Tuesday. The toddler was strapped into a booster
seat.

Daytona Beach is popular for legal driving on its
hard-packed sand. At about 5 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT) Tuesday a beach safety
officer noticed a Honda Odyssey minivan with South Carolina tags driving
recklessly southbound in the surf, according to the release.

Bystanders were running alongside the van trying to get the driver to stop. The van suddenly turned east into the water.

The
tourist's video showed waves cresting over the van as rescuers
struggled against window-high water to open its doors and reach the
children. The surf lifted and turned the van parallel to the shore,
nearly capsizing it.

Paramedics treated the mother and children
on the beach and took them to the hospital. The children were released
and turned over to the Florida Department of Children and Families. The
nearly submerged van was towed out of the ocean.

The sheriff's investigation is continuing.