Staff
On Saturday around 1:15 p.m., Rainy River District OPP officers were called to a single-motor vehicle accident on Off Lake Road at Judson Street in the Township of Emo.
An investigation revealed that a white Dodge Durango was travelling southbound when it left the roadway.
The vehicle entered the east ditch and rolled onto its side.
The OPP, Rainy River District Emergency Medical Services, and the Emo Fire and Rescue Service responded.
A couple from Lovington, Ill. were removed from the vehicle and taken to La Verendrye Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries before being transferred to the hospital in International Falls.
One area resident who helped the couple out of their vehicle was Mike Scheibler, who came across the scene on his way back from Emo.
Scheibler said he and another motorists got out of their vehicles to help the couple while another individual drove into Emo to call for help.
Scheibler estimated it’s possible the couple was trapped in their vehicle for as long as 30 minutes.
“My concern is how many vehicles passed that area without thinking to stop and check?” he wondered.
“I want to let people know that when you see a vehicle in trouble, unless you can visually see that everybody’s okay, there’s nobody in there, take the time to stop and take a look,” Scheibler stressed.
“I am sure a lot of vehicles passed through there, not thinking,” he noted.
“They’d seen the wreck—it was easy to spot the wreck—but nobody would stop to have a look.”
Scheibler and the other motorist opened up the doors of the overturned vehicle to check on the driver and passenger, and help pull them out of their vehicle.
He based the amount of time they may have been trapped by how wet the male driver’s shirt was.
“[The water] was from the air conditioning unit is what I am guessing,” Scheibler said. “But the way it was dripping [inside the vehicle], it would have taken quite a while for [the shirt] to become drenched like that.
“That’s why I am guessing they could have been there as long as 30 minutes.”
A retired trucker of 30 years, Scheibler said he’s witnessed hundreds of accidents and many times has been the first one on the scene.
“At least this accident, it’s a good result,” he remarked. “There were no fatalities.
“But when you see something, stop to take a look,” he reiterated. “You never know.
“What if nobody would have stopped?”
Scheibler is taking care of the couple’s dog, “Mandy,” until they are released from the Falls hospital.
The Illinois couple owns a cabin in the area and was heading home after spending their summer here.
