Passers-by save Mother and Toddler from Sinking Car

Just when you begin to lose faith in humanity, a video like this comes along to renew it. 

It shows four passers-by jumping into the icy cold waters of the Schinkel River in Amsterdam to save a woman and her toddler from a sinking car. So, if you're wondering (like we did) what a car is doing in the middle of the canal, it is believed that the woman had parked the car but when she stepped out, the vehicle began to roll forward with her child still inside. She couldn't free the kid in time and the car plummeted into the water with both of them inside. 

There are several accounts on how the men who jumped in managed to extricate mother and child. As the car began sinking under the water with the two still inside, one man tried to break the window with a rock. Another report said that an office worker grabbed a hammer and jumped in to go to their aid. Regardless, everyone - mother, child and Good Samaritans -  swam back safely to the side of the canal as the car disappeared underwater.

The mother and toddler were taken to the hospital and are reportedly doing fine. Meanwhile, the rescuers are being lauded as heroes. One of them, Ruben Abrahams, said that "every healthy young man would have jumped into the water" and that the act of bravery was "quite a natural reaction".

The four strangers turned heroes - they can save us anytime.

Before we start judging the lady for her "parking skills", we've all been guilty of forgetting to pull the handbrake at least once before. If you're wondering what you could do if you were trapped in the car like that, a Swiss Army Knife's centre punch would help to break the glass. (Read also: Ten things to have in your car). And some bollards lining the riverside would also be a good idea.