A Manitoba man escaped with no injuries after his truck was swept away by the Ochre River in the RM of Lakeshore Tuesday.
The man had attempted to drive through a low level water crossing that the river had started flooding due to the heavy rainfall in the area.
“The current was so strong, it swept the vehicle downriver,” said Chief Cameron Abrey with the Dauphin Fire Department.
The vehicle was dragged around 20 feet down the river before emergency crews arrived on scene, Abrey said.
He said the two passengers in the vehicle, a man and woman, were able to swim to shore. However, the driver could not swim away and he was stranded in the truck.
Both the Ochre River and Dauphin fire departments worked together to successfully rescue the man from the water.
All three people, including the driver, were able to escape with no injuries.
“This could have been a tragic event, which is why we want to remind people to stay away from the moving waters,” Abrey added. “With the rapid moving water, if a vehicle tries to go through, even two feet of water, that can push a vehicle.”
He said to stay away from ditches, creeks and river banks, as they can become unstable due to heavy rainfall and can suddenly give way, tossing a person into rapidly moving water. He advises people not to try to walk, swim, drive, or play in flood water, as if it is moving swiftly it can become dangerous.
The province said Tuesday about 100 millimetres of rain has fallen in the southwest part of Manitoba since Monday.
Ochre River is around 28 kilometers southeast of Dauphin.
