Dump truck driver saved by passerby after truck goes into Miller Lake
Man jumped into the water when he saw no sign of the truck's driver
A dump truck driver was rescued by a Good Samaritan on Monday morning after his truck left Highway 102 near Fall River, N.S., and landed in Miller Lake.
The dump truck was travelling southbound on Highway 102 at around 7:30 a.m. when it ran into trouble, said RCMP Cpl. Roger Robbins.
"All of a sudden the truck veered into the median between the lanes, veered into the northbound lanes on the 102 and then went into Miller Lake," said Robbins.
The truck started taking on water.
"One of the passersby had actually gone, swam out in the lake and swam out to the truck because there was no sign of movement from the driver. The driver hadn't gotten out of the truck."
The swimmer helped the driver out of the dump truck, said Robbins. The cab of the truck was half filled with water by the time the driver got out.
"He's lucky that he did get the help that he did," said Robbins.
'Lucky this didn't happen on a normal weekday'
The driver had minor injuries and was taken to hospital in Halifax for treatment.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
"The time of the day really went in everybody's favour just because it's a holiday Monday. We're just very lucky this didn't happen on a normal weekday, because I'm sure there would likely would have been traffic coming in the north-bound lane had it had happened at that time."
It's still not clear what led to the crash.
"It's still under investigation. The conditions at the time — of course there was heavy winds and heavy rain as well — so water being on the highway is certainly a factor we're considering."
The dump truck was lifted out of Miller Lake Monday afternoon. Drivers told CBC News that led to traffic delays as the truck was hoisted out of the water.