By Jackie Lieuwen
Houston/Interior News
A woman was rescued from a truck that was flipped and floating in the Morice River early last Tuesday. The 46-year-old male driver was still missing Monday.
RCMP Sergeant Stephen Rose said the woman was sitting in the window of the floating truck when she was seen by several Houston people on their way to work.
After calling 9-1-1, the locals threw a rope to the stranded woman and pulled her to shore.
RCMP Sgt. Rose said the crash happened close to 3 a.m. on June 30.
At 5:24 a.m., the locals saw the truck and called 9-1-1.
Ambulance, fire and police responded to the accident 23 kilometres up the Morice River Road.
They immediately called in Search and Rescue from Houston and Smithers to look for the missing male driver.
The woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, Sgt. Rose said.
Bulkley Valley Search and Rescue (BVSAR) from Smithers brought in two jet boats and two inflatable kayaks for the search.
The search continued Tuesday to Thursday, and Search Manager Whitney Numan said they had 14 to 17 SAR volunteers, water technicians, boat drivers and ground searchers.
Numan says that while boats scoured the river, Houston SAR members combed the banks of the river on both sides for two kilometres.
Two swift water technicians from Terrace and a search manager and two technicians from Vanderhoof came to help Thursday.
Numan said they will be looking for the body in the river.
“The likelihood of him being onshore is next to nothing. We have ground searched both sides of the river down two kilometres and there is no sign of him,” he said.
The search was called off Thursday night and Numan said they planned to try again Saturday.
“Our plan is to wait until the river levels drop and water clears up a bit to continue… It is expected the river levels will drop eight to 10 inches in the next week.”
Houston police and a Prince George traffic analyst are investigating the cause of the accident.
Cpl. Dave Tyreman, RCMP media relations, said alcohol is considered to be factor.