Tillie Tooter, who survived 78 steamy August hours trapped in her car after plunging off an Interstate 595 ramp, died at 98 on Saturday.
Her grandson, Eric Simms of West Freehold, N.J., confirmed her death on social media Saturday afternoon.
Simms posted 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 Broward County] to see her this morning and told her I love her and thanked her for being a great grandparent.”
On Saturday, Aug. 12, 2000, Tooter went missing after she left her Century Village condo in Pembroke Pines to pick up relatives at Fort Lauderdale airport. She never showed up.
Tooter had become disoriented and plunged from Interstate 595 into a thicket of mangroves when a driver bumped her from behind and pushed her over a guardrail.
Her cellphone had flown out the window. The car had nestled on its side in the mangroves. She unbuckled her seat belt but realized trying to get out of her Toyota Tercel would be fruitless because she was trapped in a thicket.
Tooter drank rainwater she collected in the steering wheel cover of her car. She sucked on a button to keep her mouth moist. She also rationed two pieces of candy and a stick of gum until she was rescued from her car. Her story made her a local and national celebrity, with a host of television appearances to follow.
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