Unusual wreck left driver atop sunken truck in snow storm, Charlotte officials say

Dozens of snow-related crashes were reported in Charlotte Saturday, and among the more unusual was one involving a pickup that ended up largely submerged in a neighborhood retention pond.

The crash happened just after 7:30 p.m. Saturday, in a subdivision near the intersection of Jerimoth and Cuddington drives in east Charlotte.

“Fire communications received calls reporting a pickup truck had lost control, left the roadway, and entered a retention pond. Callers advised that the driver had exited the cab as it took on water and was standing in the bed of the truck,” the fire department reported on social media.

Firefighters arrived to find the truck largely submerged, with its headlights still shining.

The driver escaped the cab as it began sinking, and his feet got wet in the process. He had been standing on the back of the truck about 25 minutes before firefighters arrived, and reported he could no longer feel his toes.

A fire department ladder truck was summoned to keep a light on the driver as firefighters stood in heavy snow, trying to inflate a life raft, photos show.

“Firefighters made contact with the driver and successfully freed the patient at approximately 8:25 p.m.,” officials said. “The patient was treated on scene. No additional injuries were reported.”

The driver’s identity and details of the injuries was not released.

The crash happened at the height of a snow storm that resulted in 6 to 12 inches of snow falling in Charlotte, and higher accumulations north of the city, the National Weather Service says.

Medic Ambulance reports it responded to 52 crashes Saturday during the storm.

This story was originally published February 1, 2026 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Unusual wreck left driver atop sunken truck in snow storm, Charlotte officials say."