(Fort Dodge, Iowa) – Officials with the Fort Dodge Fire Department reports that at around 8:15-p.m., Saturday (May 10th), rescue personnel were dispatched to the area of 2484 Riverside Trail, south of Coalville, for a report of a van in the river. It was not initially unknown if the van was occupied. In addition to crews from the Ft. Dodge FD, personnel with the Otho Fire Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Deputies, Iowa DNR, and Iowa State Patrol responded to the scene.

Officials say shortly after first responders arrived, it was confirmed that the van was occupied. The van was approximately 150 to 200 yards east of the Kalo boat ramp. Two additional Fort Dodge Firefighters responded with a boat. They, along with one member of a rescue crew, launched at the Kalo boat ramp, and were able to make contact with the lone occupant of the vehicle. The van was filled with water to the point of the occupant’s shoulders. The driver side window was broken and Firefighters were able to force open the door against the current and used the boat to brace the door open. The occupant was able to climb up onto the seat and open door frame. Firefighters successfully pulled the occupant into the boat. The boat returned to the boat ramp, where it was beached and the patient was moved to a waiting ambulance.

The patient was taken to Unity Point Health Trinity Regional Medical Center, in Fort Dodge. The cause of the van being in the river was under investigation.