A northwest Indiana man pulled his 89-year-old mother-in-law out of a pickup after it rolled into a pond near his Liberty Township home Wednesday morning.
Herbert Nowak, 61, had parked the gray 2013 Ford F-150 by a pond near his home in the 700 block of North 50 West in rural Liberty Township about 11 a.m. Nov. 15, according to a statement from the Porter County sheriff’s office.
Nowak told investigators he parked the truck there so his mother-in-law, Connie Rinchak, could enjoy the scenery while he played with his dogs, the sheriff’s office said. He was on the phone with his wife when he exited the truck, thinking he had put it in park.
When he noticed the truck rolling forward into the pond, Nowak yelled to his wife on the phone before running after the truck.
When emergency crews arrived, the truck was fully submerged about 10 feet from the shoreline, the sheriff’s office said. Nowak had removed Rinchak from the truck before they arrived, and Sgt. Jesse Klemz from the sheriff’s office helped pull them both back to shore with a pool skimmer that was nearby.
No injuries were reported in the accident, although Rinchak was taken to Porter Regional Hospital to be treated for cold water exposure, according to the sheriff’s office. No charges were filed.
