RCMP Cpl. Murray Haggarty who dived into a frigid ditch full of water — not once but twice — saved the life of a young Manitoba driver. The odds were “slim” of the 20-year-old being able to save himself after losing control of his vehicle. It veered off the highway, headed down a “steep” incline and flipped halfway likely after “hitting rocks,” before landing upside down in the water.“He was in shock so I don’t think he would have been able to exit by himself. Chances would have been slim for sure,” said Turtle Mountain RCMP Sgt. Eric Descoteaux.While the driver who was wearing a seatbelt hung upside down, the car was quickly filling up with water.However, within “seconds” Haggarty was there to pull him out. Not long after, the car was completely “submerged.”The odds of RCMP “being in the right place at the right time” are nothing short of miraculous.The two Mounties, both age 46, were on patrol just before noon Wednesday, heading northbound on Hwy 18, 10 km from Killarney, located 100 km south of Brandon.They noticed the driver of a southbound vehicle “about 300 to 400 meters away” losing control.“It was facing us about 200 metres away. We saw the vehicle do a very hard right and we saw the vehicle flip,” said Descoteaux.“It was metres away when it flipped so it was easy for us to close the distance and try to rescue the driver.”Descoteaux called for an ambulance.Haggarty dived into waist deep water.The passenger window was open, so he was able to extricate the driver within a minute and pull him to safety.Haggarty then went back into the water to make sure no one else was in the vehicle.That open window was also a contributing factor to the vehicle quickly filling with water.“The young driver was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the collision, and that certainly helped in saving his life,” said Descoteaux.“We are just so relieved that we happened to be in the right place to witness this collision and that we could respond immediately.”“Some days, being a first responder is heartbreaking, but because we were in the right place at the right time, and my partner jumped in that water so quickly, today was not one of those days.”RCMP are investigating why the driver who lives in Killarney lost control. “He was trying to make some sense of what happened. We didn’t really ask him too many questions. We wanted to make sure he was OK. That was our main priority.”They wrapped him in a blanket to warm him and sent him off to hospital in an ambulance. He was treated for minor injuries and released.Haggarty, who “likes to be out of the spotlight,” declined comment.“We’re grateful that the driver is safe … grateful we could save his life,” said Descoteaux.
RCMP Cpl. Murray Haggarty who dived into a frigid ditch full of water — not once but twice — saved the life of a young Manitoba driver. The odds were “slim” of the 20-year-old being able to save himself after losing control of his vehicle. It veered off the highway, headed down a “steep” incline and flipped halfway likely after “hitting rocks,” before landing upside down in the water.“He was in shock so I don’t think he would have been able to exit by himself. Chances would have been slim for sure,” said Turtle Mountain RCMP Sgt. Eric Descoteaux.While the driver who was wearing a seatbelt hung upside down, the car was quickly filling up with water.However, within “seconds” Haggarty was there to pull him out. Not long after, the car was completely “submerged.”The odds of RCMP “being in the right place at the right time” are nothing short of miraculous.The two Mounties, both age 46, were on patrol just before noon Wednesday, heading northbound on Hwy 18, 10 km from Killarney, located 100 km south of Brandon.They noticed the driver of a southbound vehicle “about 300 to 400 meters away” losing control.“It was facing us about 200 metres away. We saw the vehicle do a very hard right and we saw the vehicle flip,” said Descoteaux.“It was metres away when it flipped so it was easy for us to close the distance and try to rescue the driver.”Descoteaux called for an ambulance.Haggarty dived into waist deep water.The passenger window was open, so he was able to extricate the driver within a minute and pull him to safety.Haggarty then went back into the water to make sure no one else was in the vehicle.That open window was also a contributing factor to the vehicle quickly filling with water.“The young driver was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the collision, and that certainly helped in saving his life,” said Descoteaux.“We are just so relieved that we happened to be in the right place to witness this collision and that we could respond immediately.”“Some days, being a first responder is heartbreaking, but because we were in the right place at the right time, and my partner jumped in that water so quickly, today was not one of those days.”RCMP are investigating why the driver who lives in Killarney lost control. “He was trying to make some sense of what happened. We didn’t really ask him too many questions. We wanted to make sure he was OK. That was our main priority.”They wrapped him in a blanket to warm him and sent him off to hospital in an ambulance. He was treated for minor injuries and released.Haggarty, who “likes to be out of the spotlight,” declined comment.“We’re grateful that the driver is safe … grateful we could save his life,” said Descoteaux.
