LUCERNE, Calif. – A man whose car went into the lake Friday evening was rescued thanks to the actions of a passerby.

A 79-year-old man, whose name was not immediately available, reportedly fell asleep at the wheel of his 2009 Ford Focus while driving eastbound along Highway 20 just west of Pepperwood Cove, according to reports from the scene.

The vehicle went off the highway and into the lake and was partially submerged, with the man trapped.

A passing motorist, Amy Goszulak-Zingone, dove into the water and pulled the man from the sinking car, according to an account she shared on the Lake County News Facebook page.

She reported that the man was shaken up but OK.

When dubbed a hero by other readers on the Facebook page, she said, “I don't feel like a hero. I didn't have time to think about anything; I was on auto pilot! I'm just glad he is okay!”

She said the man asked her how he could ever repay her for saving his life. “I told him if he wanted to repay me, he needs to pay it forward. Help someone else who needs it, just like I did,” she said.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .