Driver rescued after pickup truck is submerged in Des Plaines River

RIVERSIDE – A 24-year-old Countryside man remains in critical condition at MacNeal Hospital after he reportedly lost control of his pickup truck and drove it into the Des Plaines River, according to a Riverside Police Department news release.

Riverside police at about 6:35 p.m. April 9 received numerous 911 calls reporting a single-vehicle crash at Riverside and Olmsted roads. The vehicle, a 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck, went into the Des Plaines River and submerged, according to the release.

Firefighters removed the victim from the submerged vehicle. He was brought to the shore where life-saving measures were taken. Police were able to contact the driver's parents, who were advised to report to MacNeal Hospital.

Riverside police, along with fire personnel, searched the area for additional victims but did not find any. Fire personnel put a boat into the water to search for additional victims, but none were located, the release stated.

Riverside police continued its investigation with the assistance of the the WESTAF Major Crash Unit.

The investigation revealed that the pickup was traveling west on Riverside Road at Olmsted Road when it left the roadway, struck a tree, continued across a residential property, lost control, drove into a park area at Riverside and Olmsted roads before heading into the Des Plaines River, according to the release.

Police interviewed witnesses and were able to recover video of the crash. The video shows the pickup truck traveling out of control at a high rate of speed, driving on the parkway and a residential property in the 100 block of Riverside Road before veering toward the park, the release stated.

Additional information will be released once the driver is interviewed and more information is obtained regarding the circumstances surrounding the crash.

“I am extremely thankful that there was no adults or children walking in this area at the time, or this could have been a further tragedy,” Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel said in a statement. “My detectives and the major crash unit will continue to work on this case to get all the facts and the reconstruction completed.”