Firefighters pull man from partially submerged truck

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - An area man was pulled from a pickup truck that was partially submerged in a slough in the southwest part of Fort Madison Wednesday night.

Very few details are available but the pickup went into what is known to locals as Winke's Slough about 200 yards southeast of the PAW Animal Shelter on 48th Street.

The truck was submerged in about three feet of icy water and the man was yelling for help before first responders arrived at the scene.

The red arrow shows the approximate location of a pickup truck that partially submerged in about three feet of icy water Wednesday night. Firefighters were able to pull the man to safety after close to an hour of being in the water. Image from Google Maps

Fort Madison firefighters had to take 35th Street behind Pipeline Cleaners and along the railroad tracks about a mile back to just past the railroad bridge and then get out an ice sled and go about 150 yards out to the truck.

Three firefighters tethered to the sled by a rope anchored to a firetruck went over the ice to the victim, loaded him out onto the sled, and then pushed and pulled him to safety over the ice.

Lee County EMS first responders were on hand to tend to the man once he reached the shore and transported him to Fort Madison Community Hospital.

Fort Madison firefighters said there was just the one person in the vehicle. Fort Madison Police were on scene investigating the incident and details haven't been released as to why the man was more than 100 yards from any bank of the water.

Fort Madison firefighters try to determine which is the best course of action to get to a man stranded in icy waters in the pickup in the distance of what is known to locals as Winke's Slough just southeast of the PAW animal shelter off 48th Street Wednesday night. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC
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