Chandler man drives truck into Kickapoo Creek

Authorities say a Chandler man is lucky to be alive after driving a pick-up truck into the cold Kickapoo Creek waters, then spending 13 hours in the cold outdoors.

According to reports, about 2:00 Saturday morning, William Weams was eastbound on State Highway 31 in the inside lane when he said a wild pig ran out in front of him. When he swerved to miss the animal, the Dodge Dakota pick-up truck he was driving went off the north side of the eastbound lanes, just before the last bridge going into Chandler, barely missing the guard rail. The truck became submerged in the water.

Details are sketchy on what Weams did next, but authorities say he did not seek help, but rather went into the nearby woods and spent the night.

Later Saturday morning, around 10:00, Chandler Police Officer Tim Jones was patrolling the area when he said he spotted the roof of the cab of the pick up in the water, and notified the Henderson County Sheriff's Department.

Police and rescue crews from the Highway Patrol, Sheriff's Department, Chandler and Brownsboro Volunteer Fire Department, the Game Warden's office, and EMS arrived on the scene hoping they were not too late. However, upon investigation it was found no one was in the vehicle. A dive team from Smith County remained on standby to search the frigid waters for a possible victim.

"We don't know when it went in or how long," said CVFD Chief Robert York. "We (York, and a friend from McKinney) jumped in and swam over there and climbed on top of the truck. The driver's side was completely down and the other was open just a few inches. We reached in the windows on both sides and did an arm sweep and didn't find anything. By that time it was time to get out of the water. It took our breath away. It was serious cold!"

The truck was pulled from the water enabling authorities to get the license plate number to contact the owner, identified as Cheryl Bien, of Brownsboro. Bien informed the authorities she had loaned the truck to a friend Friday night, but did not know his whereabouts.

It wasn't until Weams was spotted walking out of the woods, still wet from the mishap, and began walking down the road.

"One of the other troopers found him muddy and wet and put two and two together," York said.

It is unclear as of press time why Weams did not attempt to get help.