Nobody plans to take their pickup truck for a swim, but that’s exactly what happened to a driver in Idaho when their vehicle ended up submerged in a reservoir. Fortunately, this story has a much happier ending than you might expect.
According to authorities, the driver managed to stay calm enough to break a window and escape the sinking pickup before it disappeared beneath the surface. Better yet, the driver swam safely back to shore without injury.
Getting the person out of the truck was only half the battle, though. Recovering thousands of pounds of submerged metal from roughly 40 feet underwater is an entirely different challenge.
Thankfully, a combination of sheriff’s deputies, a dive team, emergency management personnel, and a towing company all worked together to bring the truck back to dry land. The recovery itself is pretty impressive to watch.
The Driver Broke a Window and Swam to Safety
The incident happened on the morning of Tuesday, July 7, when the Washington County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a vehicle submerged in Brownlee Reservoir near Highway 71. Initial information provided by Baker County indicated that the truck’s only occupant had already escaped by breaking a window before swimming safely to shore.
Baker County Deputy Warren Thompson remained at the scene until Washington County personnel arrived to take over the recovery effort. While the driver had already made it to safety, the pickup itself had settled roughly 40 feet beneath the surface of the reservoir.
Dive team members Anderson, Mosley, Jakich, Singleton, and Manser descended into the reservoir to attach recovery equipment to the submerged pickup. With everything secured, Woody’s Towing was then able to carefully winch the vehicle back to the surface.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Thomas and Chief Deputy Edwards managed traffic along the roadway, while members of Idaho Power provided resources needed throughout the recovery. It was a coordinated effort involving multiple agencies, each handling a different aspect of the operation.
Commenters Had Plenty of Fishy Jokes Ready
Some commenters didn’t waste time poking fun at the situation. One person implied that wildlife might have already found a home in the submerged vehicle, writing, “That bass thought he was gonna get a new house.”
Another commenter took a jab at the area’s parking, writing, “Day use passes must cost too much if people are hiding their vehicles under the water.”
More than anything, viewers were happy that the person who had been trapped in the truck was able to get out at all. A majority of the comments read something like, “Thankfully, he was able to escape and was okay. A special thanks to all of the law enforcement agencies who were involved in this incident,” and “Glad the occupant was able to get out!!”
Additional information about why the truck was submerged in the reservoir or the name of the driver, was not revealed. However, it is stated that no one was injured as a result of the incident.