Firefighters cut the door off a truck to rescue two men after their vehicle plunged into Onondaga Creek Saturday night.

Syracuse, N.Y. – It took Syracuse firefighters wearing life jackets and wet suits about an hour to rescue two men from a pickup truck that plunged down a 20-foot embankment into Onondaga Creek Saturday night.

The truck went into the east side of the creek after crashing through a fence near Berger Avenue.

Two adult men were calling for help when firefighters arrived on the scene at about 9:51 p.m.

Emergency crews had to cut through thick vines, trees and plants to get to the creek.

Members of the department’s rescue team used ladders to climb down the steep concrete embankment to the water.

A badly damaged pickup truck that plunged into Onondaga Creek.

The two men were trapped inside the heavily damaged truck, said James Farwell, a deputy chief.

Firefighters had to cut the driver’s side door off the vehicle to remove them.

Each of the men were placed in a basket and hauled out by firefighters using ropes and pulleys.

“It was a very intense scene,” Farewell said.

He said the department’s rescue team trains for these types of situations “which happen far and few between.”

The victims were lucky because the water was only about 2 feet deep, Farewell said. Had there been a rain storm and high water levels the truck could have flipped over.

Both men were taken to a hospital by AMR ambulance. Farewell did not release their identities or have information on their conditions. But he said their injuries were not life threatening.

After the rescue, Big Red Towing with help from the fire department hauled the vehicle out of the creek.

James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com

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