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Police puzzle over lost truck mystery call
that it received a curious call before dawn had broken. The caller, who spoke English with a French accent, said he wanted help getting his Ford F-150 pickup truck out of the Ottawa River. Dubois noted that the tow company was told that the caller did not want the police involved. Before hanging up, the caller reported that he and another person had gotten out of the truck before it submerged. The tow company provided police with the cellphone number their call-display showed. Attempts to get in touch with themystery caller failed. Police do not know whether it was because he refused to answer or his cellphone was no longer working or in a dead zone. Hawkesbury OPP, with help fromRussell County OPP and the Alfred-Plantagenet Township fire department, organized a pre- liminary ground search of the Ottawa River,
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Police are puzzling over a mysterious phone call about a submerged truck in the Ottawa River. The call resulted in OPP and search-and-rescue crews riding snow- mobiles and ATVs, scouring the frozen river fromWendover to Rocklandwithout finding any traces of a truck or the twomen presumed to have escaped from the vehicle after it went into the freezing water. “We’re not closing this incident report,” said Const. Pierre Dubois, media liaison for the Hawkesbury OPP detachment. “We don’t think it’s a prank. At this point, it’s a waiting game.” Early in the morning of Friday, Feb. 20, a local towing company reported to police
Police and rescue crews set up a base station at the Wendover dock while searchers on ATVs and snowmobiles scoured the frozen Ottawa River last Friday for signs of either a pickup truck reported submerged in the river or the two men who were in it and escaped before the truck went under. Aerial search by helicopter turned up no signs of any breaks in the ice-and-snow-covered river but police are not dismissing the missing truck report as a hoax.
Foire
betweenWendover and Clarence Point near Rockland, the general area where the caller said the truck had gone in. Along with searching the shorelines of the river, searchers began a hut-to-hut search of as many ice fishing shacks as they could find in case the caller and his passenger had gone seeking shelter from the sub-zero cold and wind in one of the huts. Temperature on the river was minus 25 degrees with a wind-chill factor of minus 30 or more. The search expanded later in the day with the OPP Emergency Response Team (ERT) joining in with snowmobiles and also a heli- copter to conduct aerial reconnaissance for signs on the river of where the ice might have broken from a truck going through. Police from the Papineauville division of the Québec Provincial Police also did a search on the east side of the river. Dubois reported Monday that the aerial search turned up no signs but, he noted, the
phone call came in very early in themorning and that, given the extreme cold temperature and wind conditions, any cracks and holes in the ice could have re-frozen over and been covered by the blowing and drifting snow. Police continue to regard the call for help as legitimate.The question is why the caller did not want police involved in any rescue attempt. “At this point, it’s a waiting game,” Dubois said, adding that, if a submerged truck turns up later in the year after the river ice breaks up, then police can trace the ownership through the VIN number, the licence plate, and other identifying marks. Meanwhile, police ask that if anyone saw the incident or has seen or heard of twomen who appeared soaked and suffering from the cold and exposure, to please phone the OPP either at the Hawkesbury detachment at 613-632-2729 or the toll-free emergency number at 1-888-310-1122.
Correction The Feb. 19 edition of the Vision contains an error. On page 3, in the article entitled, Cheers for Clarence Creek Carnival!, the wrong accreditation is given for the annual community festival. The article credits the Knights of Columbus as the sponsors for the Clarence Creek Carnival. This is an error. The Clarence Creek Lions Club is the traditional sponsor and organizer for the Clarence Creek Carnival. The Vision apologizes for the error. Stay clear of snow plows OPP in the Ottawa area and surrounding region have had many calls since the beginning of the year about traffic accidents involving snow plows and other motorists. Since the latest snow storm over the Family Day long weekend, police remind drivers that they need to keep a safe distance from snow plows working on the highways and other roads. A blue flashing light indicates a snow plow at work, which means slower driving for anyone following behind. Do not try to pass a snow plow because there may be temporary whiteout condition for the road while the plow is working. Oncoming vehicles in the opposing lane may not be visible until too late. Wait until the plow has moved off the road along its route and visibility is good before attempting to move on. At night time, motorists approaching a snow plow at work from the opposite lane need to slow down and be careful to both avoid the blade and also watch out for impatient drivers following behind the plow who try to pass it. – Gregg Chamberlain
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