Calgary Fire Department rescues car driver from middle of Bow River

Earlier this evening the Calgary Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident by the Shouldice Bridge on the Bow River. The first arriving Apparatus encountered two vehicles, one down a steep embankment on its roof and the second on its wheels in the middle of the Bow River. Upon reaching the vehicle on its roof the Fire Fighters were able to locate the driver and passenger who had crawled out the wreckage. Access to the second vehicle was a little more difficult, donning a PFD and attached by a rope a Fire Fighter was able to wade out to the second vehicle. Once he made it to the car he confirmed that the solo occupant although extremely shaken up was not badly hurt. The driver of the vehicle was removed from the car and transported to the shore by a CFD Aquatics Rescue team. All three people were turned over to EMS for treatment. Once the scene was secured, the Aquatics team remained on scene to assist the tow truck driver with removing the vehicle from the water, the SUV was approximately 45 meters from the nearest bank. One eye witness said it was like watching a scene from Dukes of Hazard. The scene was turned over to CPS to conduct their accident reconstruction investigation.

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