Ever wonder what a truck would look like on side-scan sonar? Clark Reehm recently found out when a truck drove off the 147 bridge into Sam Rayburn Lake on January 8. Reehm was fishing the lake when he received a call from a buddy, who had witnessed a vehicle jump the guide rails and was currently in the lake.
While Reehm didn’t have all the details, he noticed a helicopter working the scene. Good Samaritans had already intervened, with an angler launching their boat and racing over to pluck the woman out of the frigid lake. Another individual had jumped off the bridge in an attempt to save her as well.
Fortunately, this had a happy ending, as everyone was removed from the water. Details are thin, but it would appear that there were only minor injuries to all parties involved. Authorities responded quickly, and rendered necessary aid.
After everyone was safe and the scene was clear, Reehm was able to assist using his Lowrance StructureScan unit to locate the vehicle. It was tough going due the strong winds and the bridge pilings, but he was able to obtain some pretty useful info for searchers — as were some interesting images.
The images appear to show the truck stuck nose-down into the bottom of the lake. Some angles appear to show something trailing away from the vehicle; possibly oil or other fluid exiting due to the impact.
Reehm was able to share the imagery with State Troopers, as well as mark the crash site with a buoy to aid in recovery. The dive team from the Game & Fish department are set to remove the vehicle sometime in the next week, after the storm subsides.
