An area man drove his car onto a Pleasure Island pier on Lakefront Drive a little before 10 a.m. Friday morning.
The car crashed into the water, though it is not immediately clear whether the driver intentionally drove into the water, drove into the water by accident or whether the pier gave way.
The pier is not intended for cars.
According to witnesses, the car was a Dodge Charger, and the windows were rolled up. The man, reported to be an African American, approximately 25 to 30 years old, was underwater for nearly 30 minutes before rescuers retrieved him.
Keith Vicknair said he’d been fishing on the pier since 7 a.m. and he noticed the car as it began to drive on the wooden pier. He said he thought the driver was brave, as he doubted the pier could sustain the weight of the car.
Vicknair returned to his rod and continued fishing at the gazebo at the end of the pier.
“He drove out to the gazebo and sat there,” Vicknair said. “I turned to cast into the wind and I saw him put the car in reverse and he backed up five feet. I cast again and then I heard a crash and a splash.”
Vicknair said he called 911 at 9:56 a.m., and he stayed on the scene until rescue divers retrieved the man’s body and he helped emergency personnel bring the man onto the shore.
Vicknair said EMS personnel tried to revive the man until a medevac helicopter arrived, but he never saw the man regain consciousness.
According to Risa Carpenter, a spokesperson for the City of Port Arthur, the man was taken to the Medical Center of Southeast Texas. Later in the day he was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital.
Carpenter said investigators will not know whether man intended to drive into the water or not until the investigation is complete.
The man’s family was near the scene of the incident, but they declined to talk to the media. Lakefront Drive was mostly closed to traffic for hours after the incident.