A Manitoba trucker thinks his icy plunge off a bridge and into a river could have been prevented with properly maintained guardrails.
Ken McInnes, 73 from St. Claude survived an icy plunge into a frozen river on Friday. He was heading south when he lost control of his vehicle going over a bridge east of Carman.
Despite the crash, McInnes told Global News there was never a point where he thought that he wouldn’t escape.
“Even as I was plunging down into the river, I was thinking, well, this isn’t good. But, you know, you’re thinking about how you’re going to escape. Just because you’re in a bad situation, you can’t give up.”
With the driver’s side of the truck submerged, McInnes unsuccessfully tried to break a window with a pocket knife he was carrying. With the cab filling up and his mouth full of water, he gave one last desperate shove against the passenger door. It popped open and he was able to flee the sinking truck.
After pulling himself out of the icy waters, McInnes was able to safely crawl to shore where he received help from a passing motorist before emergency crews arrived. He escaped the incident with only a few bumps and bruises.
However, the Manitoba trucker could be reaching out to the province with some concerns. McInnes said the guardrails on the bridge were in poor condition even before the collision occurred.
“We have pictures of even the railing on the west side of the bridge that wasn’t touched, and I can tell right from the picture that it’s rotten. Like, the whole thing would never have happened if the bridge railing was kept up and proper railing.”
He said someone could have lost their life, and there needs to be better upkeep than this.
In a written response, the provincial government says the bridge was functioning properly prior to the collision and met standards. Manitoba Infrastructure is reviewing the incident.
McInnes says he’s alright now, and relaxed over the weekend doing chores and watching football.