Man dies in severe Calgary storm
CBC News
Posted: Aug 6, 2011 1:31 PM MT
Last Updated: Aug 6, 2011 1:31 PM MT
A Calgary transit bus tries to navigate a main road in north Calgary on Friday, Aug. 5, 2011, after a sudden thunderstorm dumped heavy rain. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press)
A 60-year-old Calgary man died after becoming trapped under his car during a sudden and intense downpour around supper time on Friday.
Calgary police said that in the height of the storm, the man attempted to move his car, which was parked on a hill in the 4600 block of 4th Street NW.
He somehow slipped under the car, and became trapped by the force of the water running down the hill that witnesses described as a "torrent."
Shannon Acton was passing in her car, and saw the rescue attempt unfold.
"A man flagged me down and [I] just saw there was an arm stuck behind the vehicle there. And yeah, the current was so much it actually had the whole back of the vehicle submerged in water," Acton said.
"There was a bunch of other people who stopped the same time as me. They were trying to get him out from under the vehicle but unfortunately they couldn't."
Gaetan Lemieux was one of the people on the scene who tried to rescue the trapped man.
"We tried to pull him out and we couldn't pull him out. Then four of us tried to pull him out. And more people helped lift the vehicle up off of him," Lemieux said.
"I'd just like to commend the people who tried to help — complete strangers. Won't cross your path again. And it's nice to see that."
Police are expected to further release details about the deceased on Saturday.
Fire department kept busy
The Calgary fire department answered more than 113 emergency calls during and immediately after the severe weather system swept hail, lightning, and a deluge of rain across the city.
Vehicles and motorists are left stranded on a main road in north Calgary on Friday, Aug. 5, 2011. (Larry MacDougal/The Canadian Press) Between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. MT, fire crews responded to 62 flood calls, 10 motor vehicle collisions, 12 alarms, eight calls for medical assistance, five house fires, five hazardous materials calls, and three water rescues.
"Most of these calls have now, or are in the process of being resolved," the department said in a statement Saturday morning.
With files from the CBC's Sonya Denton and Geoff EllwandShare Tools
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