(Montreal) An octogenarian is fighting for his life after being pulled out of the waters of the St. Lawrence River by a good Samaritan who saw his submerged vehicle.
Posted at 7:35 a.m.
Emergency services were notified by a call to 911 on Saturday, shortly after midnight, of the tragedy that took place in the borough of Lachine, in Montreal.
“According to the first information obtained from various witnesses, the vehicle fell into the waters of the river from the Saint-Louis Park boat ramp,” said agent Véronique Comtois, spokesperson for the Service de police of the City of Montreal (SPVM).
“Seeing the vehicle in the water, a good Samaritan would have jumped to get the man out of the car,” she said.
The victim, an 83-year-old man, was taken to hospital. He was still in critical condition before dawn.
“As for the Good Samaritan, a 25-year-old man, he was treated on the spot for hypothermia, but there is no fear for his life,” said Constable Comtois.
SPVM investigators were dispatched to the Quai de Lachine, where the vehicle fell into the water, via the boat ramp located along Saint-Joseph Boulevard, at the end of the 34e Ave.
“For the moment, research is still underway to verify if another person is in the vehicle,” said the SPVM spokesperson.
The investigation has been transferred to the collision investigation section and investigators are currently on site to try to determine the exact circumstances surrounding this event. »
An expertise will undoubtedly be carried out on the vehicle when it is extracted from the waters of the river.