EDMONTON -- Flooding near Lac La Biche turned into a life-or-death situation for an Alberta man after becoming trapped in his sinking car.

Muhammad Hussain was driving down Highway 36 south of Lac La Biche Sunday evening, when flood water covering the road caused him to hit the ditch.

"At the moment I hit the water I was like, 'Oh my God. What happened?'"

Heavy rain had filled the ditch with water, and then that water began flooding Hussain's car.

"I tried to open the window or the door, but the door wouldn't open, they were locked. Cause the car shut off and the power went off to the car," said Hussain.

Hussain can't swim. He couldn't find his phone, and his car continued to sink.

"The first thought that came was, 'Oh, I'm stuck.' And maybe this is my last moment. And I'm like, 'Oh God, please help me.'"

Hussain says he jumped in the backseat and tried to smash the windows but couldn't. He then pulled the back seat down to get into the trunk.

"Luckily I found the latch. I pull it open, and I was able to get out," said Hussain. "I was like, 'Thank God I’m out of the car.'"

Hussain

Hussain says he held onto his trunk as he jumped into the water to see if it was shallow enough to wade to the road. But the water was above his head, and since he can't swim, he climbed on top of his car and started screaming for help.

A car passed without noticing him, but 15 minutes later Garnett Lett and his girlfriend drove by with their window down.

"You could hear some faint yelling in the background for help," said Lett. "We looked around, shone our headlights in that direction and saw him standing in the water there."

Lett called 911 and stayed with Hussain until the fire department rescued him by boat. He calls Lett his angel.

"I really appreciate it, I'm so thankful," said Hussain.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sarah Plowman