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Grandmother Who Survived 3 Days In Wrecked Car Dies At 98

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – You may remember the story of Tilly Tooter, the elderly woman who survived 78 hours in her car after it careened off of I-595 and into a thicket of snake-infested mangroves.

In August of 2000, Tooter was on her way to pick up her granddaughter from Fort Lauderdale Airport when her car was hit from behind.

The impact sent the car over a guardrail and into the mangroves, where she remained for three days surviving on rainwater caught with a steering wheel cover.

A teen boy who was picking up litter on the side of the road with his father noticed Tooter's car and called authorities.

It took between 25 and 30 rescuers over an hour to rescue Tooter from the wrecked car.

She would survive another 15 years after the rescue, passing away on Saturday at the age of 98.

Tooter's family is not speaking publicly about her passing yet, but her grandson did post this message on Facebook:

"After a spectacular 98 year run I am saddened to say that grandma Tillie has finally gone down for the count. RIP grandma. I am just happy that I made it to see her this morning and told her I love her and thanked her for being a great grandparent."

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report.)

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