A man was pulled from the Willamette River Sunday afternoon — alive — after Clackamas County authorities say he intentionally drove off the dock of the defunct Oregon City Marina on Highway 99E north of Canby.
The Clackamas County Water Rescue Consortium was activated when a report came in about a submerged truck in the river in the Canemah area, police said.
Numerous units of first responders reported to the scene of the emergency, causing more than the usual traffic back-ups along 99E.
The sheriff’s office first reported on Twitter that the driver of the pickup truck had driven off the dock in an apparent “altered mental state.”
“It has not been determined if that is due to drugs, alcohol or other reason,” the sheriff’s office said in a tweet. The man was rescued and later hospitalized.
Authorities were initially uncertain if anyone else was in the truck, due to “inconsistent” statements by the driver.
Divers worked with a tow truck and crane to recover the truck and eventually confirmed that there had been no passengers.
The sheriff’s office said the criminal investigation will be handled by the Oregon State Police since the truck came off the state highway.
Agencies who assisted in the operation included Clackamas Fire, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Lake Oswego Fire, Oregon City Police, American Medical Response, Gladstone Police and OSP.
Photos courtesy the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office:
