Driver pulled from pickup submerged in reservoir

New Haven Register, Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Woodbridge man spent 22 minutes underwater
By Elizabeth Benton, Register Staff

Seymour – A 66-year-old Woodbridge man was submerged about 22 minutes Tuesday morning in a reservoir off Haddad Road after his pickup truck plunged into the chilly water.

The man was without a pulse and was not breathing as emergency crews pulled him from the truck, Seymour Ambulance Associate Chief Scott Andrews said.

Crews performed CPR and advanced life support as they took him to Yale-New Haven Hospital. The man’s pulse returned on the way, and he was listed in critical condition in the hospital’s intensive-care unit later Tuesday, according to police.

There were unconfirmed reports late Tuesday night that the man had died.

Police did not release the man’s name, but are expected to do so today, pending notification of his family.

Andrews said emergency crews were called to the scene at 10:49 a.m. by a passer-by. At that time the truck was upside down in 3 to 4 feet of water.

I was unclear how long the driver may have gone without air. Andrews said there may have been air pockets inside the cab of the truck.

The cold water may have increased the man’s chances for survival. “With a cold-water drowning, that slows all the body’s processes down. The colder the water, the better the chance of survival as they warm him,” Andrews said.

Emergency crews used a hydraulic tool to open the truck while still in the water. Once the unconscious driver was extricated, teams used a basket to pull him onto the embankment.
A tow truck operator driving past the scene also stopped and offered his wrecker to help stabilize the submerged truck as they pulled the man from the water, Andrews said.
“As chaotic as the scene seemed, everybody worked really well together to gain access to the patient to get him out of the water,” Andrews said.

Police are still investigating how the truck landed in the water.A small amount of gas from the truck spilled into the reservoir, and state Department of Environmental Protection officers were called to the scene. Birmingham Utilities President John Tomac said the reservoir has not been in use since 1984, and the incident will not affect water quality.

Note from John Rumbold:
It was reported that when my brother arrived at the emergency room he had no brain activity and his body temperature was 70 degrees F. The emergency room team worked on him for over four hours but he ultimately suffered another cardiac arrest and could not be recovered.