Bystanders help rescue driver after truck goes into Lake Phalen; man hospitalized

Bystanders help rescue driver after truck goes into Lake Phalen; man hospitalized By KSTP Bystanders helped rescue a driver whose truck ended up submerged in Lake Phalen due to a suspected medical incident, law enforcement officials say. A spokesperson for the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office says deputies and a dive team were called to the lake at around 12:20 p.m. Monday after a truck entered the water. The driver of the truck, an 80-year-old St. Paul man, was trapped inside, but two bystanders were already trying to save him by the time rescue crews arrived. The sheriff’s office says the bystanders were able to break a window but couldn’t get the door open. Deputies and firefighters then went in and successfully got the man out from the fully submerged truck. He was then taken to a hospital for treatment. As of Monday afternoon, he was in stable condition, according to the sheriff’s office. The dive team then checked the water to verify that the driver was the only person in the truck. No other occupants were discovered. While exact details still aren’t clear, the initial indication is the man suffered a medical event that caused the truck to leave the road and enter the lake, a Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.