Bystanders rescue driver who plunged into pond

by Elizabeth Baier, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Three bystanders helped rescue a man from a submerged van in Wright County early Friday morning, officials said.

The driver of the van was headed south on Highway 101 around 7:30 a.m. when he veered off the road, drove through a ditch, hit a fence and plunged into a pond, according to State Patrol spokesman Lt. Matt Langer.

It's unclear what caused the driver to lose control of the car.

The van plunged about 10 feet before two witnesses stopped and tried unsuccessfully to pull the driver out, Langer said.

At the same time, the driver of a boom truck drove stopped to help out. The truck driver used cables to pull the van out of the pond, Langer said.

The driver, who was submerged for several minutes, was air lifted to North Memorial Hospital in critical condition. He has not been identified yet.