Good Samaritan rescues driver after car plunges into Bonneville County Canal

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — A bystander rescued a female driver from a canal in Bonneville County on Tuesday before emergency crews arrived at the scene.

According to Bonneville County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Bryan Lovell, the incident happened near a meat packing plant in the area of 1090 E. Iona Road.

Lovell said the witness entered the canal and helped remove the driver from the vehicle after it left the roadway and entered the water.

The driver was safely rescued and did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

Brandunn Griggs is a father of four who was on the way back from a nearby wrecking yard, when he saw a car in the canal.

"...as I approached the bridge here to cross the bridge, I didn't see the car, and I glanced over and saw the car in the water and, decided to pull over and jump out," Griggs said, "I went down to the doors trying to open the door to see if I could help get her out of the car, door was locked. She's trying to unlock the door... I ended up just punching the window to unlock the door."

I asked him what was racing through his mind in that moment.

"I guess more or less to kind of think that someone's from someone's family member, you know?" Griggs said.

This act of kindness did not go unnoticed from the woman.

"She was thanking me.She's telling me how thankful she was that I showed up to help her," Griggs said.

Deputies are continuing to investigate what led to the crash. Lovell said investigators currently believe impairment from marijuana may have been a contributing factor, though the investigation remains ongoing.

Crews later removed the vehicle from the canal and reopened the roadway.

Local News 8 spoke with the man who rescued the driver and will have more on his actions later.