OPP help driver trapped in frigid water in Calabogie

Ontario Provincial Police say quick-thinking neighbours and responding officers helped free a man from frigid water after his dump truck rolled into a marsh in Calabogie. The vehicle ended up in the water off Barryvale Road at around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday.

A neighbour who was first on the scene told police they found the driver trapped in the cab of the truck, which was rapidly filling up, and they were trying to cut the seatbelt. OPP officers jumped into the water upon arrival to help free the driver. The driver was in the water for approximately 70 minutes and the officers were in the water for about 50 minutes before the driver was freed.

Renfrew County EMS took the driver and the officers to hospital. The driver was treated for hypothermia but was in good spirits at the hospital. The others had mild hypothermia, OPP said.

“Thanks to quick thinking and efforts of community members and emergency services, a potentially tragic incident was prevented,” OPP said in a news release.