Woman OK after car plunges into icy Gatineau River

Driver lost control of vehicle in snow

A Gatineau woman survived a spectacular crash Wednesday morning after she lost control of her car and plunged into the Gatineau River.

The 52-year-old was taken to hospital with hypothermia but otherwise minor injuries after the crash around 6:20 a.m., as the area was in the middle of its first major snowfall of the season.

Gatineau police Const. Pierre Lanthier said the woman was driving in front of 2403 St-Louis St. when she lost control and crashed into the river.

Lanthier said she pulled herself out of the vehicle and hung onto the door while emergency crews responded.

Police, paramedics, several fire trucks and two rescue boats were dispatched.

Maxime Courchesne, a deputy chief with the Gatineau fire department, said an offduty firefighter stopped his vehicle when he witnessed the crash.

A man had already jumped into the river in an attempt to save the woman.

Since the water was cold and the possibility of hypothermia was high, the offduty firefighter told the man to get out of the water. Meanwhile, a flatbed crane operator stopped to help.

A crew of firefighters who specialize in rope rescues arrived moments later.

A quick decision was made to put a firefighter into the crane to rescue the woman, Courchesne said.

The firefighter was lowered down to the water before he tied a rope attached to the crane around the woman’s waist and gave her a lifejacket.

The woman was then hoisted up to the road, Courchesne said.

“I’m very proud of my crews. They were acting quickly,” Courchesne said. “This proves it’s not just a job, it’s a way of living.”

The woman was treated by paramedics before she was taken to hospital.