Man rescued by barge after driving burning car into Ohio River in Louisville

Louisville Metro Police on the scene at the Cox' Park boat ramp where a man, whose car was on fire, drove it into the Ohio River. The man was later rescued by a passing barge and is at hospital with non-life threatening injuries. June 6, 2022
Louisville Metro Police on the scene at the Cox' Park boat ramp where a man, whose car was on fire, drove it into the Ohio River. The man was later rescued by a passing barge and is at hospital with non-life threatening injuries. June 6, 2022

A man was rescued by a barge Monday morning after driving a vehicle that was on fire into the Ohio River.

Louisville Metro Police responded to reports of a man driving the vehicle on fire into the river at the Carrie Gaulbert Cox Park boat ramp about 5 a.m., police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said.

Witnesses said the man was able to exit the vehicle but was unable to get to land, Mitchell said.

The man was rescued by a barge downriver near Eva Bandman Park and transported to the University of Louisville Hospital with minor injuries, Mitchell said.

The man was the only person in the vehicle, LMPD said.

This story will be updated. 

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Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Man drives burning car into Ohio River at Louisville's Cox Park