Two fishermen and an electrician working on the quay nearby rescued a woman from a sinking car which entered the water at Kennedy Quay in Cork city at around 12.10pm.
Shouts from a nearby ship alerted two Belgian fishermen who had just off loaded their catch from their trawler the 'Soetkin' before the incident happened.
As the car began to float down river, the two jumped into the River Lee, joined by a third man, an electrician from Bandon who had been working nearby.
One of the fishermen managed to fix a tie line to the car while the other two men climbed onto the back of the car to rescue the woman.
The electrician used a lump hammer to break the back window and he and the second fishermen managed to pull the woman to safety.
The woman has since been taken to the Mercy University Hospital where she is being treated for minor injuries and shock.
The Cork City Fire Service is currently coordinating the removal of the car from the water onto the quay wall.
It is to be lifted from the water shortly.
