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PACKERTON - A Fort Wayne man was pulled from his overturned truck by passers-by as the cab filled with muddy water after a Wednesday morning accident.
Richard A. Sikora, 43, suffered only minor injuries when his truck overturned into a ditch on Packerton Road north of CR 700S. When EMS units arrived, Sikora had been pulled out of the truck and was sitting on a passer-by's pickup truck tailgate.
Steve J. Steller, Pierceton, acted with the help of other Packerton area travelers to pull Sikora from the truck.
"I heard him say 'Get me out of here, I don't want to drown,'" said Steller. Steller said the car ahead of him went to call 911 while he tried to get Sikora out of the wrecked truck.
With the help of another passer-by, Steller was able to help Sikora, who pushed from the inside while the two men pulled from the outside to pry open the truck's door. The driver was covered with mud and bleeding from his hand when he got out of the truck, Steller said.
Steller and his wife were driving to North Webster at 10:30 Wednesday morning to pay some bills when they encountered the accident.
They came over the crest of the hill and saw the truck spin out of control, overturn and come to rest in the water-filled ditch, said Steller.
"I just happened to be there to help him out," said Steller.
Once out of the truck, Sikora sat on the tailgate of Steller's truck covered with a blanket until the EMS arrived. Sikora was treated for cuts to his hand and released at Kosciusko Community Hospital.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department reports that the truck was hauling contaminated soil from a tank removal site in Winona Lake. The soil was being hauled to a Packerton landfill.
The truck belonged to Summit Area Services Inc., Fort Wayne. The company reports that the spilled soil was cleaned up yesterday and all the proper paperwork already has been filed with the EPA.
A representative of the excavating company said they have the proper certification to carry hazardous material.
