A quick response from the Vermilion Township Fire Department saved a man’s life Thursday after his truck overturned into a deep ditch filled with water behind the old Maurer property off Kneisel Road.
Fire Chief Frank Triana said the driver was part of a railroad contract crew working north of the tracks. As they were finishing up for the day, one of the workers began backing out to turn around and didn’t realize there was a large culvert behind him.
“He didn’t even know the culvert was there,” Triana said. “It was probably 30 feet wide and 15 to 20 feet deep. All of a sudden, he felt himself going down and backward, and the truck flipped over on him.”
The vehicle landed upside down in the water with the driver trapped inside. Water quickly began filling the cab as a coworker tried to pry open the door using a spud bar from atop the overturned truck. Unable to escape, the driver found a small air pocket near the brake and gas pedals and waited for help.
Fire crews were dispatched within minutes. “We were out the door in a couple of minutes and on scene in a couple more,” Triana said. “My senior paramedic was kicking his boots off to go down into the truck when he spotted the guy’s hands at the window. He grabbed him and pulled him out.”
The driver was checked by paramedics and refused hospital transport. Triana said he was alert and oriented but understandably shaken. “A couple more minutes and it might’ve been a different outcome,” he said. “You don’t know how long that air pocket would’ve lasted.”
After the rescue, the department worked with a towing company to remove the truck and deployed containment booms to prevent any possible oil or antifreeze from entering the waterway. Crews returned the next morning to remove the booms without issue.
Triana credited the successful outcome to quick action, effective dispatching, and the advantage of having firefighters on station ready to respond. “It was a good ending to a quick response,” he said. “Having those guys here really makes a difference, and it shows exactly why the fire levy is so important.”
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