An overturned truck was filling with water as firefighters worked to free the driver and his dog in Richmond this week – and the dramatic scene was caught on camera.
Rain was pouring down hard when the vehicle crashed into a water-filled ditch off Highway 99 near the Massey Tunnel late Wednesday night.
Fortunately for the driver, two Good Samaritans spotted the accident and pulled over to help, including commercial fisherman Jeremy Birch. As the other man dialed 911, Birch immediately headed into the cold water.
“The cab was pretty sucked into the muck,” Birch told CTV News. “As I entered the ditch, all I’m thinking in my mind is: There’s people strapped in right now upside-down. Like, we gotta get them out of here.”
The Good Samaritans struggled to pry open the doors, but found they would barely budge.
Instead, they decided to open up communication with the driver and try to keep him calm until police and firefighters could reach them.
“After what seemed like a long period of time, I started to hear some rummaging, which turned out to be him getting himself turned around,” Birch said.
“We just kept talking to him. He was panicking, obviously. He was in water, the cab was filling up.”
Birch filmed the scene as firefighters arrived, capturing the hair-raising rescue as crews used the Jaws of Life to free the driver and his dog.
“My legs are numb,” the understandably shaken motorist can be heard saying in the footage.
Birch said he doesn’t consider himself a hero, but he urged other drivers to considering pulling over if they see someone in need.
“Hundreds of vehicles tore by and if anybody’s to get anything out of this, it’s when you see somebody that may need an extra hand, don’t hesitate to pull over,” he said. “It could be you one day that needs the hand.”
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Roberts
