VOLUNTEERS from the Millicent State Emergency Service assisted with the rescue of a man who crashed his vehicle into the Blue Lake at Mount Gambier late on Friday
night.
Just after 11.30pm, police and emergency service crews were called to the top of Bay Road just past the Blue Lake lookout after a ute careered through a guard rail and fence and plunged down the steep embankment surrounding the lake.
Rescue crews used a boat and located the ute – a Mitsubishi Triton – partly submerged.
The driver of the ute was eventually located halfway down the steep slope.
He had been ejected from the vehicle before it hit the water.
The 22-year-old man from the South East was lucky to escape injury.
It was several hours before rescuers were able to lower him into a rescue boat and he was taken to Mount Gambier Hospital.
Millicent SES unit manager Gavin Golding said six of his members were involved in the rescue.
Mr Golding is trained in vertical rescue along with two other members of the Millicent SES unit who went to Mount Gambier.
He told The South Eastern Times of the challenges faced by the various rescue teams, including darkness, the steep terrain and thick bracken.
“You always fear the worst when you get these call-outs,” he said.
“We lowered ourselves down on ropes and we could hear crying and groaning.
“The driver was located and the decision was made to take him out via a boat and he was lowered to the lake.
“We have good safety systems in place.
“When we have a job to do, we just do it.”
Mr Golding said darkness prevented the use of a drone to locate the driver and the vehicle while the Warrnambool-based rescue helicopter flew to Mount Gambier and was on standby.
“The Metropolitan Fire Service was using its thermal imaging equipment,” he said.
“The Millicent SES unit has used its vertical rescue skills with a tourist at Southend about 18 months ago and with a cave rescue at Naracoorte earlier this year.
“We had another call-out on the weekend to a fallen tree at Banksia Road, Millicent, on Sunday night.”
Police have publicly thanked the volunteers and emergency services personnel for their assistance in the incident, which took nearly five hours to manage in cold conditions.
