LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — For the second time in recent months, a driver lost control of a vehicle and ended up submerged in a pond near GE Appliance Park.Â
The driver of a silver truck somehow ran off Global Distribution Way into the grass and eventually came to a stop in the middle of a pond Tuesday night. The man was trapped in driver's seat of the truck for more than 30 minutes with water up to his chest, authorities said.Â
"I saw that there was a guy in a pickup truck over there," said Quentin Young, who first contacted authorities. "He had his window down, and I said 'OK, it's time to call 911.'"
Authorities arrived at the scene around 9 p.m., and members of a water rescue team jumped into the freezing pond to save the man. The crew was able to get the man out of the truck and transported to a hospital. Hypothermia had started to set in by the time rescuers got there, said Jordan Yuodis, a spokesman for Jefferson County Fire and a member of the water rescue team.Â
Yuodis said he could foresee how someone could wind up in the pond. A curve near the end of the road appears suddenly, which can be dangerous to someone speeding.
"If you're driving that fast, and that road curves, you're asking to possibly end up in that body of water," Yuodis said. "It's definitely a message to slow down in areas you aren't familiar with."
"It is kind of dark," Young added. "If you're speeding, you may not catch this curve or see it."
The truck was still in the pond Wednesday afternoon.
Tuesday's accident marks the second time a car has crashed into the pond over the course of a year. Employees of Owens & Minor Distribution Inc., which is located not far from the pond, said one of their co-workers did the same thing months ago.
Employees said the person sped down the road and wasn't able to make the turn before ending up in the pond. Although a car doesn't always end up submerged in the pond, it's not unusual for people to speed in the area.Â
"A lot of people speed," said Betsy Parks, an employee at Owens & Minor. "We have a sign down there that has a speed limit, but they don't pay no attention to it and they fly through here."
Two accidents later, employees said the property manager is looking into installing a barrier of some sort to prevent another car from crashing into the pond.Â
The man involved in Tuesday's accident is expected to recover, officials said.
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