Lincoln Police say a man who suffered a medical issue just before 4:00 Saturday afternoon ended up driving into a pond near 75th & Badger Rd. LPD says 35 year old Jordan Kurtzer was traveling through the area and says he saw a large splash in the pond and noticed the partially submerged truck.
LPD says Jordan and another man went into the water. Kurtzer swam to the truck but found the doors were locked. LPD says the other man found a tire iron in the bed of the truck and Kurtzer used it to break the back window.
Sergeant Chris Vollmer says Kurtzer entered the truck through the window and unlocked the rear door. After opening the door, the truck began to sink again. Kurtzer was able to unbuckle the driver, who was conscious but non-responsive, and pull him into the backseat. There were life jackets in the back seat and LPD says both men wrapped each of the driver’s arms in a jacket to make him more buoyant.
LPD Sgt. Tu Tran arrived on the scene and removed his protective vest and equipment belt and swam to the truck. Sgt. Tran was able to reach the bottom of the pond near the back of the truck. Kurtzer and the other man, known only as “Don”, assisted in floating the still unresponsive driver to
Sgt. Tran.
The group then worked to move the driver to the shore and to responding medical personnel. While working toward the shore, Sgt. Tran was snagged by a fishing lure. An additional responding officer assisted him in removing it from his thigh with a multi-tool.
The driver is expected to recover.
(Photo: LPD)